Bethesda hasn't said anything about the future of the Elder Scrolls series, but one of the most common topics of speculation is where the next game should be set. Rather than trying to keep this in the official suggestion/discussion thread we've decided to give this an official home.

This discussion doesn't need to be tied entirely to geography, other setting details are also appropriate. However let's please keep this focused on the game world and leave other matters, like gameplay mechanics or NPCs, in the other thread.

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1513626-tes-vi-location-and-setting-speculation-17/

Is there a tower in Black Marsh?

Funny thing about that... At the conclusion of the Umbriel incedent, the city was transported to the home the Ur-Hist, generally presumed to he some remnant of the original Hist-Realm. All that was there were endless Hist trees... And a tower in the distance...

Hmmm...........interesting.

I bet a Black Marsh game would be fascinating. There are many different kinds of wetlands around the world, so the idea that Black Marsh would be monotonous is off the mark.

So, the Hist come from Oblivion, this "Realm of the Hist" with a supposed tower. If Black Marsh was sundered from this realm in the creation of Mondus, would that mean that this distant spire mentioned in Lord of Souls could be Black Marsh's tower? Gods, I'd like to see them explain this in the game in a way that makes sense.

"The Thalmor/villains are planning to enter the Hist's home realm and destroy a sort of cosmic support beam with the use of the Eye of Argonia - its stone and source of power. You - protagonist linked to the Hist by ritual, must uncover this and stop them."

Honestly, that makes a lot of sense. The Thalmor, or whoever would desire to destroy the Hist and their supposed tower, would be funneling elven weapons into Black Marsh, perhaps to bolster the strength of any allies they may have there in preparation for a rebellion. Also, if the Empire was to send some sort of expeditionary force to subjugate Black Marsh, since Skyrim is a liability, could/would they gain the support of the Dunmer? That would almost be like a Daedric invasion of Black Marsh, the Daedra-worshiping Dunmer and the Mede Dynasty - which is tied to Daedra, Titus Mede II wielding Goldbrand and Attrebus Mede being connected to Clavicus Vile and Malacath. Perhaps a choice between those Dunmer who would side with the Empire, and those led by the decimated House Dres, wanting to reclaim Deshaan and their city of Tear.

A lot of it depends on how they handle the Hist. We know that the Hist have something akin to their own micro-dream, an entire world-scape within their collective thoughts, and the Argonians are their agents beyond it. IceFireWarden has a fantastic hypothesis on exactly what sets the Ehlnofey and the Hist apart from the rest of the Et'ada, but i won't clutter it too much here...

The Hist-Realm may not be a place in either Oblivion or Aetherius, it may actually be part of THEIR Dream, a localised reality with the Hist Collective.

Fascinating, the Hist truly are one of the strangest aspects of the game world. While a Black Marsh game would anwser some questions, since we will be looking at Black Marsh as outsiders, keeping the Hist as vague and mysterious as possible might be the best bet. I do wonder how an Argonia main quest would work and what it would be about. Something revolving around the Hist, but what?

The Hist of Umbriel directed the now grounded flying city into the ralm of the Hist. Were these similar to rogue Hist, and why would they direct the city into the Mundus Hist-Dream? Could they have sought to reconnect with the Hive-Mind?
Could the mysterious Eye of Argonia factor into this, perhaps the embodiment of the .Hist Dream, and would it make it a target of the Thalmor? That would be a payoff to the rumors of Thalmor exporting elven weapons to Black Marsh. The seeking of the moving forest of Murkwood, an Imperial expedition into Black Marsh, the restoration of the Shadowscales and the revenge of House Dres.

I want The Elder Scrolls VI: Hammerfell so badly.

You could have Clavicus Vile as the Daedric Prince DLC as well.

If I understood you, it suggests that what the Aedra and Daedra think about the Great War and the Thalmor goal of destroying all the remaining towers to undo Mundus is not the only 'argument' on the table. At the very least, the Hist will have an opinion on this, and they may be in a position to act on said opinion.

There are definitely other goings-on and other opinions. The Host certainly view everything in a radically different light, and we have no idea what the Magne'ge or the Mneoli(or whatever they're called) think of the situation. Whether any would get involved, or are even capable of intervening (I've reason speculation that the Hist have A-temporal percpeftion, and view all of time simultaneously...) Is also up in the air.

I've been wondering: if Fallout is announced on E3 and released this fall, could we get the next TES as early as next year? I can't stand ESO, but surely BGS can take some of their assets and lore and it'll shorten the development time because they don't have to start from scratch, coming up with locations and cities? Sure, none of the ESO provinces turned out particularly beautiful, but it can be used as a rough draft to work with, scale up, enhance graphics, change the art style, get rid of horrible cliffs and lack of variety between zones in ESO. That said, of course the provinces would be very different from ESO (at least I hope so). But my hope is since BGS already has some rough draft to work with, they'll be able to make the game deeper and more meaningful. I think I've read somewhere that Skyrim's depth suffered because of the time that was spent on creating the world.

If there is anything within ESO that is of use - I dunno, certain pieces of artwork or landscape - I'm sure Bethesda will use it. There's no point in reinventing the wheel. Of course, engine differences may preclude that, but such a factor is a complete unknown at the moment.

Regarding releases:

My money is on Bethesda announcing FO4 for Xmas 2015. This would indicate to me that ES6 is scheduled for Xmas 2016.

It fits the 5 year release pace, if that's actually applicable and meaningful.

If bethesda fails to meet my expectations, I'll do the advlt thing and have a tantrum and refuse to eat my vegetables.

They haven't released two games so close to one another before. I'm guessing we'll have to wait until 2017.

I agree. That is the most obvious scenario. It would be normal. Beth hasnt ben just working on Fallout 4 for sure.

This is a team that spends over a year supporting each game post-release before moving onto their next project. And the length and the intensity of each post-release/DLC period has grown with each new game.

Even if they have the biggest pre-production team ever already working on ES VI (and I think they do), it'll still be mid-2017 at best.

Also, no: nothing of use can or will be used from ESO in the next TES game. Even if they did scrounge a few assets, it wouldn't change the development time by more than about a week, but I gaurantee they won't. I can't be bothered to describe why, but I'd be willing to bet my own children's kidneys on that.

ESO is like the devil for TES franchise, so better let TES VI to continue being far away from all the ESO related stuff. Aberrations shouldn't take part in a future TES.

While it would make sense that the next game in the series is Fallout 4, we could still see TES VI be released before or soon after. Half of the team works on the DLC, while the other half goes into pre-production for the next game, at least to my understanding. Skyrim made a ton of money, and even with ESO, there is a demand for TES VI. With ESO dropping its subscription plan, the five-year plan of content might have been thrown out the window and replaced with the upcoming DLC.

Before ESO dropped the subscription plan, my estimated release date for TES VI was holiday season 2018. Realistically, we should have seen an announcement for Fallout 4 already. I don't expect TES VI to be coming out this year or even the next. An announcement however, that would be great. Best case scenario: they show off Fallout 4 and announce TES VI, but no release date for the latter.

What do we know about blackmarshs inhabitants? Would draugr/dwemer have a presence. How much is swamp? Imperial
Presence? Snow/mountains? What new creatures would be a must based on lore?

To continue the Black Marsh discussion, aside from the Argonians and their various variations, such as the assimilated slavers and advisers of the Archiens, the toad-like Paatru, the "winged" Sarpa, the needle-mouthed Agacephs and the snake-like Naga, there are the Hist, which would most likely play a large part in the game. Black Marsh has also been host to many other races, form the possibly extinct vulpine beast folk known as the Lilmothiit, though, they could have endured in some form, perhaps as a tribal culture, living on ships and floating islands.

Northern Black Marsh could also be home to many Dunmer, as the Argonians did reclaim some ancestral land during the Accession War, perhaps even the now ruined city of Tear, perhaps bringing in the decimated House Dres and Velothi tribes into the game. It would be fun. And while the Empire doesn't seem to have much presence in Black Marsh at the moment, while it was part of the Empire, they certainly left their mark. While mostly flooded, cities like Gideon, Lilmoth and possibly Soultrest included Imperial architecture and influences. With Skyrim a liability and the Hist posing a significant threat, they could have sent an Expeditionary Force to Black Marsh, perhaps aided by what few allies they have in Morrowind, to neutralize the threat and perhaps even bring the Argonains, or at least the Archiens into the fold. The Thalmor's interests in Black Marsh could have also caught their attention.

As for geography, which a significant portion of Black Marsh is marshlands, it is far from just an ordinary swamp. There are some mountains, and Black Marsh's north-west is where Nibenay and Deshaan intercede, so we might see aspects of Morrowind in Black Marsh. No snowy mountains however. As for legendary creatures that would be a must, the Swamp Leviathan, the Wamasu and the Rootworms. Seeing Sload would be fun as well, as they supposedly operate in coastal regions. We could also see Maormer stalking the southern shores, and perhaps the Sky Renders from the Redguard comic.

A question, for a Black Marsh game, would people want Tear and part of Deshaan included in the game? Since it is probably going to have reclaimed Arnesia, they might as well throw in the ruins of Tear and have a story involving House Dres. Could even include Narsis and give the Dunmer a larger presence, to better portray the Dunmer-Argonian conflict.

We need a new realm and a new race to expand the lore. Akavir would be a good place. You could see a high Elf "colonial" invasion on another land

Dwemer? No.

Personally, I think at most 50% of the land is swamp, and there will be variations (just as wetlands around the world show marked differences in all sorts of ways.)

Imperials? Well, some of the fringe cities are imperial architecture. There might be some abandoned forts on the periphery as well.

Mountains with snow are definetily to the N-NW.

New creatures? Dunno. I am certain it'll be REALLY interesting.

Hang on - somethign just popped into my head.

I have a feeling that an Argonia game would show the argonians very much going their own way and doing their own thing.

Consider:

To the best of my knowledge, they've never really been conquered. The interior is simply too hostile to anyone but argonians.

I get the impression that the relationship with the Imperials is cordial. Sure, Black Marsh broke away. But it doesn't sound to me like the Imperials and Argonians have ever had any truly serious problems with each other.

Notice in particular what the argonians did after they broke away from the Empire. They saw the temporary weakness of the dunmer and exploited it instantly and very ruthlessly. Sure, they had motivation. But their invasion was more than just retaliation for centuries of slave raids. They WANTED to expand their territory. Personally, I don't think they're done yet.

With regards to their interactions with the Thalmor: I just don't see those jerks having any pull at all with the Argonians. They have nothing to offer.

Some new lore introduced by ESO indicates that not all Saxhleel are of the Hist, and drinking Hist sap as children isn't necessary, but as a result they have stunted social skills, loosing both their connection to the Hist and potentially more. Furthermore, members of other races can drink the Hist, gaining visions from the Hist as a result. I'd assume that Saxhleel drinking from the Hist as a young, developmental age is what causes their spiritual connection to the Hist, and those who do not are "Assimilated".

ESO also elaborates on the Hist's collective Dream, having a quest line where the Aldmeri Dominion tries to break the connection between the Hist and the Argonians using the "Mnemic Egg", which would effectively cause the extinction of the Argonians. Perhaps being "Assimilated" also means infertility? In any case, I have a question about the Realm of the Hist. If it is in fact the physical representation of the Hist's Dream, a memory, what could Umbriel's arrival in the Dream mean for the Hist?

The Um-Hist - Hist that inhabit Umbriel, guided the floating city through the waters of Oblivion to this realm, but to what purpose? To reunite with the other Hist? Or perhaps something far darker? What are the Um-Hist? Are they akin to rogue Hist? Could their and Umrbeil's presence in the Hist's Dream cause problems for the Hist Hive-Mind? Since these Hist are from a Daedric realm, could they somehow be different, an aberration, which threatens to "uproot" the Hist? Causing individual Hist to go rogue?

EDIT: I do also think that non-Argonians will play a large part in the story, or, better said non-Saxhleel, since apparently other races can also be considered Argonian, through ingestion of the Hist. The Dunmer for example. I envisioned a cinematic trailer, in which a Dres-led Dunmeri army is marching into Deshaan, to reclaimed their city of Tear. The exiled Dres delivering the Dunmer from the ash-covered north and the boot heel of the Redoran. Their army is ambushed by Saxhleel warriors, and a battle ensues. The Argonians, utilizing Hist-altered beasts prove quite a match for the Dres and their marsh-striders and sky-renders. The trailer's Dunmer protagonist is knocked off his mount, and when all seems lost, he calls upon the wrath of his ancestors, flames and burning ancestor ghosts turning the tide of the battle, forcing the Saxhleel into retreat. Pan forward to reveal their target, a fortified Xantmeer. The Elder Scrolls VI: Argonia. When they arrive, they discover many dead Saxhleel, even more dead Hist-altered Saxhleel aberrations and a still-burning dead Hist tree.

At one point, I thought Bethesda would set Elder Scrolls VI in High Rock.

Then I thought Bethesda would give us Valenwood/Elsweyr in a game featuring the mannish races going after the Dominion. However, I have recently learned that part of "Season Unending" is the ceding of the Reach to the Stormcloaks. This is something the player has no choice in if the quest is done. As this cuts off High Rock, High Rock may well be our next game location (fighting the Thalmor).

We will have to wait and see. It is possible (though some view as unlikely) that we will get some announcement during the E3 event which Bethesda is doing this year.

Here is a rogue concept for a Black Marsh game.

Strange and worrying happenings in Black Marsh have caught the collective ear of the Elder Council. Apparently individual Hist trees all across Black Marsh have gone rogue, infesting and overgrowing their host settlements and altering the Saxhleel there into monstrous aberrations, driven mad with bloodlust. Similar occurrences have been reported regarding the Sleeping Hist, strange leafless Hist that grew from spores that fell from the floating city of Umbriel. Because of these events, the Organism has started to lose power among the Argonians, mainly to the Archeins – a tribe infamous for its collaboration with outsiders, serving as advisers and auxiliaries to the Empire, as well as slavers for Great House Dres. The brigand-kings of the south have also been gaining power as a result of the Organism’s waning.

Recognizing the risk posed by these “rogue” Hist, as well as a potential power-grab and ally in their fight against the Aldmeri Dominion, the Elder Council dispatched an Expeditionary Force into western Black Marsh with the intent of ending the risk posed by the “rogue” His and supporting the rise of the Archeins. In response to this, the Thalmor have begun secretly supporting the brigand-kings of the south, supplying them with weapons and mercenaries in order to undermine the Expeditionary Force and conceal their covert operations within Argonia.

However, another threat emerges from the ash-covered wastes of the north. Following the successful reclamation of the city of Narsis by Great House Sadras, the Rootspire has approved Great House Dres’ petition to reclaim Tear and the former Dres District. Spearheading the Cantemeric Movement, Great House Dres, which was stripped of the majority of its holdings during the Accession War, leads their army of the dispossessed south, intent on reclaiming Deshaan and rebuilding the slave trade. Should they succeed, peace between Morrowind and Black Marsh may forever be rendered impossible, a thing which Great House Sadras, which has a major stake in rebuilding peaceful relations, will try its hardest to prevent, no matter the cost.

With all of these events unfolding in Black Marsh, it has become a hotbed for mercenaries and arms-dealers, attracting all sorts of characters from across Tamriel and even beyond. Sload Necromancers have been employing local brigands to acquire fresh corpses and there have even been reports of Maormer, and even stranger, "vulpine-looking beastfolk" stalking the southern coasts. The Dark Brotherhood has also made sightings in Black Marsh, rumoured to have integrated into the Nibenese Sithis-worshiping cult that still rules over the black city of Gideon. And then of course is the Expeditionary Force, a physical representation of the Elder Council's desperation, the Expeditionary Force is comprised mainly of Argonian and Dunmeri auxiliaries and conscripted prisoners. And this is where our Hero comes in...