The Elder Scrolls 6: What to Know About Its Rumored Setting
It looks like The Elder Scrolls 6 may be set in Hammerfell.
According to many rumors, teases from Bethesda, and most speculation, The Elder Scrolls 6 is going to take players to Hammerfell, home of the Redguards, and a land that borders Skyrim, the setting of the previous game. The game's map may go beyond this, but Hammerfell looks poised to be the primary setting. That said, not a great deal is known about Hammerfell compared to some other regions that have been fleshed out with more games or via Elder Scrolls Online. To this end, we have comprised a quick summary of what you should know about the region of Tamriel.
Background Information:
Hammerfell, sometimes referred to as Volenfell, is a province in west Tamriel that is bordered by High Rock in the north, Skyrim to the northeast, and Cyrodiil to both the east and southeast. It is notably home of the Redguards, a race of men who come from from the lost continent of Yokuda and a race of men known for their prowess in combat.
Traditionally, Hammerfell is ruled by either a High King or High Queen after splitting from the Empire of Tamriel in the Great War, achieving sovereignty 4E 175 upon rejecting the White-Gold Concordat. Before the Redguards arrived, the land was home to the likes of Dwemer, Neds, Keptu, Giant Goblins, as well as the Orsimer.
Geography:
For a video game, Hammerfell is great because it has multiple types of biomes, though most of its population lives on the various coasts, making it an urban and maritime population. Generally, it is considered a tropical-arid land with a range of biomes that include jungles, deserts, mountains, and grasslands. There aren't many forests though. The ones that do exist are on the coast and along the border of Hammerfell and Skyrim and Hammerfell and High Rock. There are also the famous and rugged Dragontail Mountains along the same border with Skyrim. Meanwhile, the Colovian Highlands make up the southern border with Cyrodiil. The southeastern region continue the grasslands. There is also a rocky region, Dak'fron, in the northwestern parts of Hammerfell that runs up to the most promnent geographical feature of Hammerfell: the Alik'r Desert. This desert makes up all of western Hammerfell.
The Alik'r Desert is widely considered to be the most inhospitable region in all of Tamriel, so it will be interesting to see how players will traverse it. In fact, for most of history, only monsters and beasts, including perhaps most famously giant scorpions, inhabited the region. The fauna, combined with the lack of water, sandstorms, and intense heat make it a very challenging place to pass through, let alone live. There is a human population now though, but scarcely. These few and hardened people are known as the Dune Dweller Redguards, who move around the desert and over the remnants of ancient civilizations buried in the sand.
Settlements:
- Abah's Landing
- Belkarth (home of the Star-Gazers)
- Bergama
- Dragonstar (home of Dragonstar Caravan Company.)
- Dragontail
- Elinhir (home of Blackcaster Mages Guild)
- Gilane
- Hallin's Stand
- Hegathe
- Kozanset
- Lainlyn
- Myrkwasa
- Orsinium (Orcish city-state)
- Port Hunding
- Rihad
- Santaki
- Satakalaam
- Sentinel (capital of Forebears)
- Ska'vyn
- Taneth (home of the Forebears)
- Verkarth
