Pure Speculation - Elder Scrolls VI: Akaviri?

[CyrusAmell]

I have taken the liberty of breaking my argument for my speculation into three spoiler boxes. The second one is without a doubt the most wordy.

 

Part 1: Intro

 

Starting a new game as an orc warrior, I could not help but wonder what lay beyond the bounds of Skyrim. There is the Thalmor, of course, but the window to tastefully confront that threat was closed when the developers announced no further plans for DLC. For an Elder Scrolls game to kick off, a new threat must emerge that changes that status quo and triggers the appearance of a hero of the Elder Scrolls. So that rules out the Thalmor in my books.

 

 

Part 2: What threats remain?

But what threats remain, another daedric invasion of Nirn? Unlikely, that plot element has been utilized in Oblivion, Battlespire and the Elder Scrolls Online (I know of no more). So then what? Well, I have speculated 2 possibilities.

 

1. The return of the Dwemer.

 

While the return of these brilliant engineers and fabled craftsmen, who once commanded legions of automatons and constructed the Numidean, would certainly upset the balance in Tamriel I find it unlikely. Between the ruins of their cities, their artifacts, and the still hostile magical constructs that guard these things we have seen enough of the Dwemer that their return would not really bring anything new to the table. More gold-colored weapons and armor? More magic robots? As you can see, these do not excite the imagination.

 

That said, on to the point of this article.

 

2. A new Akaviri invasion

 

The Akaviri are perhaps the most important part of Elder Scrolls lore to play almost no role in any of the games. The Blades, formerly the Dragonguard, are little more than normal citizens of Tamriel who have donned their armor and adopted their fighting styles. But according to the lore, the Akaviri reshaped the events of Tamriel numerous times - especially so when they invaded three or more times. Why would they invade this time? Simple, the last few times they invaded were to accomplish one of three objectives:

 

1 - Conquest

2 - Find the Dragonborn

3 - Kill any dragons they find

 

The second is now on the table, and no matter how many the player kills the race of dragons appears to have once again become a staple of life in Tamriel. The first reason would only come naturally. The Empire itself was once literally ruled by an Akaviri regime called the Akaviri Potentates following the demise of the dragonborn dynasty of Reman. And when the Akaviri did invade, a lack of substantiated details notwithstanding, they seemed to run roughshod over the denizens of Tamriel until stopped by a united front. Even the Aldmeri Dominion would be hard-pressed to hold them off, much less defeat such a force.

 

With the Empire weakened, dragons on the loose, and reports of a dragonborn running around I can well imagine that they are just racing over the sea - especially if Delphine or even Esbern sent some type of communique to them informing them of these events as part of some emergency protocol for Alduin's return.

 

 

Part 3: What are we looking at?

 

What we are looking at is the introduction of a strange blend of Japanese martial traditions (Blade's katanas and armor) with Chinese or other mainland Asian folklore (strange beast peoples) combined with whatever Tamrielic province(s) that the game might take place in. The Akaviri invasion could also be bolstered by another renewed threat to Tamriel to really spice things up. I for one am very excited by such a prospect but what do you guys think?

 

Edited August 25, 2014 by CyrusAmell

[Kestrellius]

Hm, too early. We have to deal with the Thalmor first, which will probably take another three games. Remember, the Mehrunes Dagon arc, starting with Arena, was four games long. Of course, I don't think Daggerfall and Morrowind had much directly to do with Dagon, so some of the games in the second arc might not deal with the Thalmor much.

 

And yeah, the Thalmor will keep being the main villain for a while. Remember, they're not just a political faction. They're an Altmeri cult dedicated to the uncreation of the universe. That's big. Honestly, we were never going to have a DLC where we beat the Thalmor. Skyrim was just setting them up.

 

Now, I think that the next arc, presumably starting with TES IX, will involve either Akavir or the Dwemer. Of course, the Dwemer mystery might be looked into more with the Thalmor stuff, as the Dwemer basically did a miniature version of what the Thalmor intend. And I certainly hope that we'll find ourselves exploring Akavir eventually, as well as any other continents that are still around. (I can't remember -- did Atmora sink, or was that another continent?)

 

Oh and there are also the Argonians. I have a certain suspicion that they might be behind the Thalmor in some fashion -- or rather, that the Hist are behind the Thalmor in some fashion. They do worship Sithis, after all, and who would benefit most from the destruction of the universe? But if I turn out to be totally wrong about that, they could wind up being part of a future arc, whether as protagonists or villains.

 

Whew. They're going to have to start making games more quickly, if they're going to keep up with the four-game arcs, or else we'll all be dead by the time some of the weirder lore is explored.

[Lachdonin]

I think travelling to Akavir is highly unlikely. For one, it's kinda in the future. For two, they've said they are going to visit all the Provinces first. And for three... Its better to tell, than to show. As soon as we actually get see the Dwemer or Akavir, they lose the msytery about them.

[Kestrellius]

Tell, don't show?

 

Hm, interesting. Still, though. I have never subscribed to the notion that the best mystery or monster is the one left unexplained. That just results in a lack of payoff for what might very well be an excellent buildup. The trick is to A: not screw up the explanation, and B: explain just the right amount. You have to leave a certain amount to the imagination, but explain the general jist of what the monster/mystery is.

[LoneWolfEburg]

We still have exotic places in Tamriel that still remain unexplored. I bet Bethesda will do Akavir, when (if) it finishes with Tamriel first.