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

This discussion doesn't need to be tied entirely to geography; other setting details are also appropriate. However, let's keep this focused on the game world and leave other matters (such as gameplay mechanics or NPCs) in the main "http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1593816-official-beyond-skyrim-tes-vi-74/" thread

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1601186-tes-vi-location-and-setting-speculation-31/page-1#entry25121384

While not the most unique of settings, High Rock still offers a lot and with the success of HBO's Game of Thrones and a renewed interest in both dark fantasy court politics in recent years, I believe the time is right for BGS to not only make a game set in High Rock, but to also involve complex inter-kingdom politics and conflicts. High Rock at its simplest is a mixture of Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology, with Greater Bretony being a mass of squabbling kingdoms overlayed over ancient druidic history and Daedric-influence witch covens, while the Western Reach is very much the High Rock of old, plagued by constant infighting between the Reachmen clans, the Horse-People tribes and the fractious Orc clans. However, House Lariat stands out among these factions as possibly the most mysterious and the most potentially dangerous. A cadet branch of the now extinct Septim Dynasty, Andorak Lariat was given the kingdom of Shornhelm to placate him into giving up his claim to the Ruby Throne, an act that the sage Eraintine called "Tiber Septim's heart beats no more". Ironically, Shornhelm is known as the "Keeper of the Crypt", that being the Crypt of Hearts, which just so happens to be a more than likely candidate for the tomb of Zurin Arctus, better known as the Underking. If there is a connection between the two, that would link House Lariat to the Arthurians and by extension, the Talos Cult. Given their false claims of being the only true heirs to the Seat of Sundered Kings, that seems more than likely.

In my mock-up main quest for High Rock, House Lariat, essentially leading the last vestiges of the Talos Cult, seek to reclaim their birthright by creating an avatar of Sheor, the Bad Man and having that avatar access the Zero-Stone in the Direnni Tower, in theory restoring Sheor's divinity. In order to accomplish this, House Lariat would use everything at their disposal: making alliances with the Reach clans, seducing ambitious noble houses to betray their lieges, even appealing to the zealotry of the Imperial Red-Dome Templars. As for the creation of the avatar itself, I think it could be achieved through Reach magic. A briarheart ritual involving the blood of eight Bretons with strong Aldmeri heritage, a profane echo of Convention. The player character would be a shipwreck survivor, roped into the conspiracy by way of delivering a derelict message to the Imperial Ambassador, which would recruit them in his investigation of House Lariat. After discovering the truth behind the noble house, the Imperial Ambassador would be found murdered and the player character would be framed for it. Luckily, they would find refuge on Balfiera, Clan Direnni having worked closely with the Ambassador and would help the player character continue the investigation and clear their name.

Remind me why was he saying that again?Andorak had zero Blood relationship with the Septim dynasty.

He was born from a line related to a Dunmeri noble house that had, in the past, produced an illegitimate child from Tiber Septim himself.

Maybe Barenziah's abortion didn't happen after all, and the whole thing was covered up. It would go a ways to explaining the close relationship between the Septims and the Ra'athim Clan beyond just Barenziah, and why Kateriah didn't seem to have any problems with the Dragon Fires for almost half a century. That would make the Lariat's legitimate descendants of the Septims.

Which is some pretty heavy speculation, of course.

Do we know that SHE lit them or even wore the amulet of kings?She had a son with Pelagius who was Septim and could have done it.And it's not like every time the Dragonfires weren't lit they had massive Daedric Invasions that tried to take over.They had non before Alessia or between Alessia and Reman.

Oh, i tend to agree. There were potential descendants of Tiber Septim around to wear the Amulet, while Kateriah saw to the actual ruling, and the power of the Ra'athim clan is enough to explain their relationship to the ruling Imperial Dynasty.

That said, there are potential options, and while not a Septim by blood, Andorak was the son of an Empress. That's more of a claim to the throne than Titus I ever had.

I think it would be interesting to involve the Order of the Hour in High Rock. A chapter of the order was present in Wayrest. Soon after the signing of the Second Treaty of Stros M'Kai in 4E 185, a corsair army captured Wayrest, likely plunging its vassals into infighting. Aside from the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary being destroyed, we know very little of Wayrest's fate. What if, after a short reign of the city, the corsairs were driven from the city by the warrior-priests of the Order of the Hour. The warrior-priests would then take rule of the city, the royal family having been killed off during the corsairs' attack or left virtually powerless in the wake of the Order's takeover. It could be an interesting way to explore the Imperial pantheon's role in High Rock, given the Bretons' history with the Alessian Order. While most Bretons do follow the Eight, some follow the elven deities brought over by Clan Direnni from Alinor, while others worship the Old Gods of the Reach or even the Daedric Princes. The lattermost can plainly be seen in the Western Reach. Wayrest's questline could involve either supporting one of the noble houses or even supporting the Order of the Hour, championing the Great Dragon at the Empire's western edge.

You're not mentioning the Thalmor. Since TES V leaves them interfering wherever they can, they'll be in High Rock as well, trying to divide by proxy, the way they encouraged the Stormcloak uprising in Skyrim to weaken the Empire there. The historical divisions inside HR make it a good place to do that, of course. All of which gives us Skyrim II, rather than TES VI.

Good point.

Perhaps the Thalmor will be the ones having to deal with their own civil insurrection in TES6. A Valenwood or Elsweyr game would serve such a role admirably.

In one of the earlier drafts of my mock-up main quest, they player character would be a victim of the Thalmor's mind conditioning, just as some assume Ulfric Stormcloak may have been. After the ship carrying them was attacked by a Sea Leviathan, they awaken briefly on the beach, seeing two robed silhouettes standing over them, they faces obscured by shadow. One of them says something akin to "This one will do." before reaching down, a spell activating in their hand. The player character then blacks out and awakens back in the same spot, clutching a sealed scroll in their right hand, addressed to the Imperial Ambassador. With this, the main quest begins in earnest with the player character seeking out the Imperial Ambassador, delivering the scroll and being recruited by said Ambassador to help in the investigation of House Lariat. All through the first act, the player character encounters a mysterious Altmer, seemingly feeding them vital information and influencing their choices. After following a series of leads, the Ambassador is murdered and the player character is framed for the murder, nightblades in service to Clan Direnni aid in their escape and spirit them away to the Isle of Balfiera. The Castellan of Balfiera was secretly aiding the Ambassador in his investigation and now seeks to bring House Lariat to justice.

However, before any of this can be done, the player character's name must be cleared. To do this, they must acquire evidence of House Lariat's crimes against the Empire, evidence stored in Llugwych Castle, the former headquarters of the Blades in High Rock. The Ambassador's key to the vault there was stolen, but fortunately the Castellan has his own key. And so, the player character, with a nightblade to assist them, depart for Llugwych Castle, while avoiding capture. After entering the castle and braving the many traps still left over from its time as the headquarters of the Blades, they confront the Ambassador's killer, eliminate him and access the vault. There they find evidence incriminating House Lariat, as well as several other noble houses and high-ranking members of the Imperial Legion. After returning to Balfiera with the evidence, the Castellan congratulates the player character, only for the mysterious Altmer to appear once more, seemingly invisible to all but the player character, compelling the player character to kill the Castellan. Knife in hand, ready to strike, the player character manages to restrain themselves and warn the Castellan, which proceeds to knock them out with magic. They then awaken, Clan Direnni's healers having banished the Thalmor's mind conditioning. The Castellan promises them revenge.

The evidence would be taken to a person of great importance, either one of the few non-corrupt Imperial Legion officers or even the Penitus Oculatus, to clear their name and continue the investigation unencumbered. Though they would still have to deal with bounty hunters hired by House Lariat, continuing to pursue them regardless. After being freed from the Thalmor's mind conditioning, several new quests would be made available, such as seeking out Thalmor spies on Balfiera, eliminating agents reaching out the the Wrothgar Orc clans and even confronting the mysterious Altmer in the flesh. The Thalmor's endgame was to wipe out Clan Direnni and allow House Lariat to plunge the province into war, paving the way for an invasion.

I was thinking about something along these lines. Perhaps the main quest or even a faction questline could be centered around this. In any case I would like to see one of these two since we have not explored either one of them (actually, as someone who primarily plays Argonian characters, I want to see Black Marsh most but I doubt it will happen and I am not sure how it would fit well into the narrative about the Thalmor).

But I wonder how the dynamic of playing as a character that isn't an Altmer, Bosmer, or Khajiit would work in Valenwood or Elsweyr, seeing as how the Thalmor don't exactly look upon the other races...kindly. (Not that they like Bosmer or Khajiit much either, but seeing as how they are part of the Aldmeri Dominion and one of them would be in their home province it wouldn't be as much of an issue). Perhaps in those two provinces the Thalmor aren't as strict, but this is one of the reasons why I can't see the Summurset Isles being the setting of the next game. Player freedom would be greatly restricted in that environment, especially if you play as a non-Altmer. Then again, I guess Bethesda could come up with something.

I wouldn't exactly be opposed to having Hammerfell or even High Rock as the setting, but I would prefer to explore a completely new province. IMO, the overall situations in Valenwood and Elsweyr best lend themselves to the next game's setting. And I think Bethesda is going to keep going in the direction of exploring new provinces anyway. (^{Black Marsh, Bethesda, please.})

I could imagine an exiled and somewhat aged Hlaalu Helseth making a cameo, having returned to Wayrest after the corsair attack in 4E 185. Hlaalu Helseth could be a great way to elaborate on House Lariat's connection to the Clan Ra'athim, since Helseth is part of said clan. Perhaps something akin to "In a way, this "King" Lariat is my great-great-great-great-great-grandnephew, on my mother's side." Helseth could even further elaborate on his connection to the Septim Dynasty through Empress Katariah, perhaps even hint at Katariah being descendant from Barenziah's supposedly aborted "Dragon Blood" bastard. It wouldn't seem overly forced, Helseth's presence in High Rock could be explained well enough. A monarch in exile, his Great House stripped of its position, returning to his war-ravaged childhood home, potentially manipulating the local nobility. Wayrest reverting back into a quagmire of warring independent city-states while the capital is contested by ambitious nobles, religious zealots and corsair stragglers, hiding out in the numerous Dellese Isles near the mouth of the Bjoulsae River seems quite fitting and for a resourceful mer like Helseth, it would be the perfect place to start anew the climb to kingship.

My one main hangup on a Highrock game, particularly with the political climate as it stands, can be summarized with a single word. Adamantia.


The First Tower is one of the most important places not just in Tamriel, but all of Nirn, and it's reappearance in a game shouldn't be some curiosity or side note. Adamantia should somehow be the focus of whatever mythic plot is going on (which does not mean there cannot be other political plots). It is the anchor of Tue world, the first point if reality and the site of the most importsnt divine gathering in all of time and space.


And ESO added to its significance and majesty by making the Zero-Stone both a concept, and a physical lock, sealing a door into the un-time of Convention. There is very literally a room somewhere in that tower locked in the moment of creation, the moment when the fates of the Aedra and Ehlnofey became locked to Nirn.


To have a game in Highrock, which does not deal with that in any way, would be travesty far worse than the suppression of the Nordic pantheon in Skyrim (though, not as bad as the blandification if Cyrodiil).


At the same time, to resolve something of such mythic importance too early would also be to skip over a story of immense potential. It represents something that Elven Kind hates, and even amongst the Drenni there is a tradition of trying to disrupt the Zero Stone and gain access to the Convention. For a group like the Thalmor, getting through that door would be the ultimate prize, but the absolute failure of every attempt would surely give them pause.


Meanwhile, Balfiera, and Adamantia proper, is a fortress, added to and built up over thousands of years by multiple occupiers. It is the Pandemonium Fortress of Nirn, a virtually unassailable bastion sitting upon a rocky precipice in the middle of a vast bay. And the Dominion controls it, at least partially.


Save Highrock, and that plot, for the end of the current Arc. After the Dominion has been crushed, either by a resurgent Empire or a coalition of independent nations, after Sumnerset has fallen and the Thalmor have been stripped of their governance. Have the rats flock to Balfiera, to their last stronghold, ajd their last ditch plan to end the scourge that is the Mundus.


Highrock should be the climix of the War against the Thalmor, not part of the rising action. Save it until the rest of the provinces are done.

The Adamantine Tower should definitely be the crux upon which the climix of a game set in High Rock should spin around. An antagonistic force has somehow attained control of Balfiera, either outsing Clan Direnni or perhaps even persuading some members to allow them access, tempting them with the chance to access the Zero-Stone, an act attempted by all of their ancestors. As Lachdonin pointed out, the Adamantine Tower is a nearly impenetrable fortress, with half-ruined past additions wrapped around the ancient tower. Not only would the labyrinthine bastions of the Adamantine Tower be an interesting location to explore, but would also make for an excellent dungeon crawl for the climix of the game. Though, I'm unsure as to where it is stated that the Dominion controls Balfiera, even partially. I remember there being mention of Thalmor agents assassinating half-breeds on Balfiera in the On Boethiah's Summoning Day RP or something similar, but I wouldn't call that an indication of control.

Infiltration perhaps, but unless the Thalmor persuade an actual leading member of the clan to join them, I'd say that Balfiera currently stands as the last truly independent Altmer colony, perhaps even a haven for Altmer exiles fleeing the persecution of the Thalmor, no city-state daring to take them after the Night of Green Fire. As for the previously discussed overarching story arc, I'm starting to find it less and less likely that BGS is going to keep the Thalmor around as a major threat for more than a couple of games. For High Rock, I could really see them playing a secondary antagonistic role, perhaps manipulating events from behind the scenes, sharing a common goal with the main antagonists. A member of Clan Direnni, in truth a Thalmor agent, betraying the clan and opening Balfiera up to the Lorkhanic hordes under the command of that... that "thing" that used to be the head of House Lariat. A cloak of ash wrapped his around his skeletal figure, blackened bones plainly seen through his shattered briastplate.

A Briar-heart aglow with sickly crimson light wedged in the broken ribcage, where his heart would have been. The same glow can be seen emanating from his eye sockets upon his half-decayed skeletal face. A brass circlet resting upon his head. The new Underking, what the witch-kings of the Reach claim to be the Bad Man incarnate, watches from the highest spire of the Crypt of Hearts, a horde of reanimated undead and bound cursed spirits pouring forth from the gates of the academy turned mausoleum. He turns to the north and sees his city in flames, the armies of the Covenant having smashed the last of his loyal subjects. Then he turns to the south, towards Balfiera, and sees a bridge of ships begin to form, just as the signal fire on Balfiera's easternmost bastion turns from a warm red to a sickly green. And somehow, upon the Underking's expressionless face, an obscene, lipless smile begins to form. The blood of the eight has been shed, the armies of the eight have come down on him. But this time, he will win.

There is a splash screen for Skyrim which says the Dominion has been engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing on the island. That's something that's difficult to do without a substantial presence, indicating that they at least partially control the island.

I don't understand. How could the Dominion have ANY control of Balfiera?

It's part of High Rock, and thus strictly Imperial territory. Furthermore, it lies in the Iliac Bay between HR and Hammerfell. An invasion force would have to travel quite far from Summerset and would require logistical reinforcement/resupply at fixed intervals. There seems to be no way they could maintain their presence there in the face of opposition from local forces that would inevitably be superior in strength, as well as having continual advantage regarding timing of attacks or raids as well as logistical support.