- We remember. We remember the light. Let these records stand testament to what was, and what now can never be. Oculus Imperia. The Eye of Empires.
Unfathomable is the amount of knowledge, of history that has been forgotten by the Imperium of Man in the 42nd millennium. Either intentionally redacted by the authoritarian regime or simply lost to the bottomless gulf of time. Mankind has forgotten more of its own past than it ever knew.
On Holy Terra, far, far below the surface, a lone historitor picks through the countless scrolls, data slates, redacted documents, and heretical tomes, slowly piecing together the true history of the Imperium, from the long-ago days of the Unification War, through the Great Crusade, the Horus Heresy, and all the way into the modern era, this nameless scribe dedicates his existence to the truth... no matter how horrifying that truth may be.
Oculus Imperia
is a Warhammer 40,000 lore channel on YouTube with a unique twist: its narrator takes the role of an in-universe scholar, recording a series of historical documents on the events of the Warhammer universe.
Examples:
- Absolute Xenophobe: The Oculus is just as virulently hateful of Xenos species as any other Imperial citizen, as becomes clear in his various "Xenos Biologis" videos; in particular, he seems to really despise the Aeldari for reasons that haven't been elaborated on. Subverted when he opines in "The Nightmare Truth of the Imperium of Man" that while there are indeed more than a few alien species that are innately inimical to humanity and to whom xenophobia is a very reasonable response (e.g. the Orks), there's scant little in the way of actual evidence for the sheer scale of the allegations of xenos treachery that have served as a justification for the Imperium's total xenophobia since the days of the Great Crusade, and even points out how the Great Crusade-era Imperium repeatedly eradicated with extreme prejudice all evidence that contravened the "all aliens are evil" narrative.
- Berserk Button: Much like in canon, Roboute Guilliman is a stern but ultimately benevolent man. Just do not presume you can easily and safely catalog Chaos itself like its just another academic subject. He lost all his brothers to its predations (one
way or another), and won't ever make the mistake of underestimating it again.- On a much more minor level, don't refer to his "creator" as a god in his presence.
- Break the Cutie: When watched in chronological order, the Oculus clearly displays a slow descent from apathy and acceptance of the Imperium, to bitter cynicism, becoming increasingly critical of the Imperium and its supposed Necessarily Evil actions.
- Go Mad from the Revelation: The videos on Chaos and the Daemonic both end with the Oculus descending into a terrified, gibbering wreck, in spite of the many "protections" he took beforehand. That said, he inevitably recovers in time for the next video, so they clearly helped.
- Hidden Depths: "The Nightmare Truth of the Imperium of Man" has him reveal a surprising level of awareness of and hatred towards the myriad excesses of the Imperium, from the blind xenophobia to the "necessity of tyranny", and all but states that his behavior otherwise outside this particular record are simply a form of self-preservation within the dystopian society he lives in.
- Hold Your Hippogriffs: In keeping with the setting's penchant for Future Slang, the Oculus often uses twists on real-life phrases, such as "never look a gifted equine in the mandibles".
- Insistent Terminology: Oculus doesn't like referring to the Ruinous Powers as "gods." His research has led him to the conclusion that, as Anthropomorphic Personifications of mortal thought, thinking of them as gods gives them more power to claim the title. Instead, he always refers to them as "the Greater Intelligences." He also avoids referring to them by name when possible, using one of their many titles and sobriquets instead.
- Last-Minute Reprieve: The Oculus was set to be executed by the Inquisition before Roboute Guilliman himself ordered a pardon; the Primarch Reborn wanted to recruit him for his new organization of historians and scholars. This is presented as the Framing Device for the entire series, though we only hear of the event after the fact from Inquisitor Kalendra.
- Necessarily Evil: The Oculus, by the time he makes "The Origins of the Inquisition" has become thoroughly disenchanted with the oft-repeated notion of the "necessity of tyranny"; as he tells Inquisitor Kalendra:Oculus: Necessity is a cloth draped over a gun so that one does not have to look too closely at what it is one is doing.
- That Man Is Dead: During his petition to Guilliman for authorization to compile the records on Chaos and the Daemonic, the Lord Regent responds to the historitor's feeling of indebtment to the former for saving his life from execution at the hands of an Inquisitor by telling him that his life is his own, only for the Oculus to reply that the man he used to be had "died" on the Inquisitor's pyre.Oculus: Who I was died that day, upon the Inquisitor's pyre. All that I am now is an eidolon; an instrument of the God-Emperor's will, and yours.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: The narrator is only ever referred to as the "Oculus Imperia", the "Oculus Investigatus", or simply "the Oculus" and no other moniker. This is by deliberate choice on his part, having discarded his personal name altogether as a sign of his renewed dedication to his calling.Oculus: None may ever know my name, for it matters not. I am not a name. I'm barely a man. What I am... What I always have been, and ever will be... is a servant. A servant of Him. I am His eye. I am... His Oculus.
- Psychic Dreams for Everyone: The in-universe justification for the channel's relatively few Warhammer: Age of Sigmar videos, is that the Oculus had seen them in dream-visions, and is recording them as a way to get them out of his head.
- Refuge in Audacity: In "The Curious Conversation Of Iskandar Khayon" the Oculus speaks with the titular Black Legionnaire during his incarceration by the Inquisition, which in and of itself takes some bravery; it's not until the final moments, however, that it's revealed he broke in to the Inquisition's headquarters on Terra to do it, unauthorized. Read that again: he broke into the Inquisition's maximum security prison to interrogate a Chaos Astartes alone and without permission! Even Iskandar sounds impressed.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: It's all but stated by Inquisitor Kalendra that Guilliman's protectiveness towards the Oculus is the only reason he isn't already dead, either by her hand or another Imperial agent. During "The Origins of the Inquisition", she heavily implies this decision has already been made, and they're merely waiting for the best time to act.
- Survival Mantra: When the videos on Chaos cause the Oculus to temporarily Go Mad from the Revelation, he ends it by muttering "The Emperor Protects" to himself, over and over again, like a prayer. Note that by this point, it's implied the Oculus no longer believes the Emperor even is a god anymore, he's just that desperate for protection from the horrors of the Warp.
- Too Dumb to Live: Roboute Guilliman himself hurls this at the Oculus when he petitions him to be allowed a "deeper" study of Chaos and its nature for his archives. With good reason.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Inquisitor Kalendra is the poster child of this trope. Ruthless, dogmatic, sadistic, smug, and flat-out sociopathic in her lack of empathy, she's still absolutely sure in her conviction that all she does is for the protection of His Imperium.
