The Physhbowl

The Eye

8 min read

Entity inspired Tarot by Grace Holsten

“Being watched, being followed, having your deepest secrets exposed. Needing to know, even if your discoveries might destroy you. The feeling that something, somewhere, is letting you suffer, just so it can watch.”
- Gerard Keay, MAG 111

The Eye is one of The Entities. It is the manifestation of the fear of being watched, exposed, followed, of having secrets known, but also the drive to know and understand, even if your discoveries might destroy you.

The Eye is one of the main entities of the series, being the power behind the Magnus Institute, influencing its members and granting some powers. 

It is the entity that grants the Archivist, a position currently held by Jonathan Sims, the ability to ask a question and compel the listener to answer. Being in the presence of an Archivist also allows statement givers to speak coherently about their supernatural experiences.

Aliases

  • Beholding
  • The Ceaseless Watcher
  • It Knows You

Fears

  • Scopophobia (Being watched)
  • Ommetaphobia (Eyes)
  • Having secrets revealed
  • Horrible knowledge
  • Being exposed
  • Being judged

Manifestations

  • Eyes
  • Books
  • Libraries
  • Security cameras
  • A figure that keeps constant watch

Episodes

Technically, every episode deals with the Eye as its influence is felt throughout the Institute and its employees, so this list should be limited to when the contents of the statement itself concern The Eye. Episodes that only mention or take place in the Archives or the institute do not belong on this list, and episodes related to powers of avatars of The Eye (such as John’s compulsion or Elias’s memory insertion) are listed under ‘other appearances’.

Other Appearances

Characters

  • The Archivist: An avatar of the Eye that has the power to take statements, compel people to answer their questions, and sometimes ‘know’ things they otherwise would not have known.
  • Jonah Magnus: Founder of the Magnus Institute and an avatar of the Eye with the ability to view any events or thoughts at will, as well as the ability to place information into other peoples’ minds. By placing his eyes into the head of someone else, he takes control of their body, ensuring that he is always the ‘heart of the institute’.
  • Archival assistants, who do not seem to receive powers but are bound to the Institute and would supposedly die if the Head did. Anyone who signs an employment contract is bound to the institute and cannot leave, until the death of the Archivist they are working for.
  • Gerard Keay: Son of Mary Keay and Eric Delano, freelance coworker to Gertrude Robinson. He created a painting of an eye, had eye tattoos that seemed to provide some protection against the effects of other powers, and occasionally seemed to demonstrate knowledge he should not naturally have in a way similar to that of the Archivist.
  • Mary Keay: She stated that she could never be loyal to just one entity, however, she grew up connected to The Magnus Institute through her mother and her son seemed connected to The Eye. Her constant search for books, knowledge, and power is reminiscent of The Eye’s drive for knowledge.
  • Albrecht von Closen: Ancestor of Mary Keay and friend of Jonah Magnus, owned a manor and library in the Schwartzwald.
  • Rosie Zampano: Due to her curious nature and working under Elias for so long, Rosie became connected to The Eye and served as the receptionist for Elias in the Panopticon.
  • Sparksfly.com (possibly): While never explicitly confirmed to be connected to the Eye, this dating site is actively designed around the violation of privacy, and at least implied to have unexplained knowledge of its customers. A similar but unnamed Eye-Aligned dating site appears in MAG 194 - Parting.

Artefacts

  • A hand mirror that, when looked at, shows a creature right behind the holder. Even after dropping the mirror and breaking its glass, the presence of that creature can still be felt.
  • An instruction manual for a security camera that had images of its readers within it. After reading it extensively, the reader becomes part of the security system, every camera feeling like an eye of the reader looking back at them.
  • Rock Eye: An eye carved out of rock that interferes with video cameras unless kept in its black velvet bag.

Locations

Ritual

The Eye’s ritual is called “The Watcher’s Crown.” Using The Panopticon in Millbank Prison, Jonah Magnus attempted the ritual at some point during the 19th century. The ritual ultimately failed but granted him semi-omniscience in the process.

Later, in 2018, Jonah Magnus attempts a new ritual to bring through every aspect of fear after theorizing that it was impossible to bring a single Entity into existence on its own. The Archivist, marked by encounters with every fear, is tricked by Jonah into completing the ritual, bringing about the Change.

Connections to other entities

Other characters and avatars in the world, such as Jude Perry, have criticized the Eye, seeing it as an entity of great power that does very little and seems content only with feeding its thirst for knowledge. Perry even states it cannot stop The Desolation

Graph View

Backlinks