If internet sleuths and Elder Scrolls lore experts are right, then High Rock (and possibly Hammerfell) is going to be the setting for The Elder Scrolls 6. We haven’t got a ton of stuff to go on, but some astute dissections of the (now four-year-old) trailer, as well as analyses ofthat strange mark in last year’s Starfield reveal trailermake for some compelling evidence that the next Elder Scrolls game will indeed be set in the northwestern regions of Tamriel.
So in preparation for a game that should be with us within the next, say, 20 years, we’ve decided to delve into its likely setting of High Rock - a land of diverse terrain, complex politics, and a history that’s as old as Tamriel itself.
Note that most of this information is based on the events of earlier games in the series, which all occur chronologically throughout the Third and Fourth Eras - 3E and 4E - apart from The Elder Scrolls Online, which is set during the Second Era (2E). The mainline series, The Elder Scrolls 1-5, has always progressed chronologically with each successive entry, so assuming that The Elder Scrolls 6 will continue in the chronology, it’s likely to take place some time after the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - maybe even a couple of hundred years.
Obviously, a lot can happen in a couple of hundred years, and it’s very possible that the state of High Rock will be quite a bit different to when we last heard of it.
With that in mind, here’s an overview of the High Rock region.
Geography and Regions
High Rock is situated in the northwestern corner of Tamriel, with the arid desert region of Hammerfell to the south and Skyrim to the east. Despite much of it being at a similarlatitudeto Skyrim, it’s not a snow-covered region, and if the Elder Scrolls Online map is anything to go by, only its mountains and north-easternmost corners are permanently blanketed by snow.
Most of High Rock wraps itself around the northern and eastern shores ofIliac Bay(with Hammerfell on the other side of the bay). In the centre of the bay is theDirenni Tower (or Adamantine Tower), believed to have been built by the immortalAedrarace in theMerethic Era, which would make it the oldest building in Tamriel.
High Rock is divided into five major regions, which are as follows:
The orc city of Orsinium, seen here in The Elder Scrolls Online, could be little more than a ruin in The Elder Scrolls 6
A cold mountainous region on the northeastern edges of Iliac Bay, and former home of the Orcs, who once resided here in the city-state ofOrsinium. With the city having been sacked several times over, the orcish hold over the region is likely to be heavily diminished. Wrothgar has also been home to theLyrezivampire bloodline,Riekrice goblins, andReachfolk- a hardy race that, like the Bretons, is descended from theAldmeriandNedes.
Stormhaven
Stormhaven, as depicted in The Elder Scrolls Online
An affluent and temperate region in central High Rock. The capital city isWayrest, an urban hub and once a rival to the other great High Rock city ofDaggerfall. The city was sacked in 4E 188 by a corsair fleet, who conspired with the city’s own king,Barynia, to let them into the city on condition that they wiped out itsDark Brotherhoodchapter, which was conspiring to kill him. The corsair completed their task, sacked the city, and Wayrest’s status as of this event remains unknown.
In the western parts of the region is Alcaire, where the dominant vampire bloodline isLyrezi.Thecity of Alcaire (also known as Alcaire Castle),meanwhile, rests at the top of a waterfall that pours into a river leading out to the Iliac Bay.
Concept art of the Beldama Wyrd Tree
The peninsula sticking out over the westernmost side of High Rock. A vast land of woods and swamps, the south of this region hosts the city-kingdom ofDaggerfall,a bustling hub that deals in everything from international trade to skooma smuggling. In the centre is another kingdom-city,Camlorn, a wealthy metropolis in the Cambray Hills region and rival to Daggerfall.
Historically, the forests of Glenumbra have been home to werewolves and Bretonian witch covens, theBeldama Wyrdand theGlenmoril Wyrd. While the former congregates around a giant oak tree known as theBeldama Wyrd Tree, the latter areDaedraworshippers.
Concept art for Elder Scrolls Online of the southern parts of Bangkorai
In the southeast of High Rock, borderingHammerfell, the forested uplands of Bangkorai house theBangkorai Garrison, which has for a long time been defending the region from raiders coming in from the Fallen Wastes to the south. The regional capital is thecity-kingdom of Evermore, which borders Hammerfell and is home to a palace built from granite imported from the Skyrim city ofMarkarth.
The southernmost parts of Bangkorai are badlands known as theFallen Wastes. This area marks the start of the Alik’r Desert, which stretches all the way into the heart of Hammerfell.
Concept art of the spooky Boralis coastline
Covering the northwest of High Rock is Rivenspire, home to theGreat Breton houses of Dorell, Tamrith and Montclair.The region is known for its high vampiric presence, and around 2E 582 (when Elder Scrolls Online is set) was battling a scourge of feral vampires calledBloodfiends. With its hostile landscape, towering castles and tumultuous history of scourges, it’s known as something of a rough backwater of High Rock.
Rivenspire
Its northernmost area of Boralis is home to theKingdom of Northpoint, which has the only port in the region, allowing the kingdom to spread its influence across the sea. The other major city of Ravenspire isShornhelm, nestled in the tough landscape of the Kurallian Mountains. The city is the former seat of power in the region, and in the absence of a king, was most recently run by a triumvirate of Rivenspire’s three Breton houses.
High Rock is home to the Bretons, a human race with high intelligence and strong magical affinities. Something that’s been largely suppressed by history is the fact that the Bretons are descended from Elves, or more specifically theAldmeri- the ancestor race of all elven races in Tamriel - who intermingled with theNedes, a human precursor race.
High Rock is known as the ‘birthplace of Tamriel.’ Here, on theIsle of Balfierain the centre of the Iliac Bay, stands theDirenni Tower (or Adamantine Tower), believed to have been built by the immortalAedrarace in theMerethic Era, which would make it the oldest building in Tamriel. It predates the arrival of theAldmer, the first known settlers of the region, who were later joined by theNedes.
The region eventually became populated by Orcs, who founded the city-state ofOrsinium. TheNordsmoved in from Skyrim,Redguardfrom Hammerfell in the south, and High Rock eventually became home to severalvampire bloodlinestoo. The First and Second Eras were filled with strife, as dozens of kingdoms fought for power. The Bretons rose up to become the dominant race in the region throughout this time, extending their reach through trade and soft power to slowly overcome the rival Nordic presence.
In 3E 417, theWarp in the Westreshaped the topography and power politics of High Rock. Several major kingdoms of High Rock contested over an artefact calledNumidium, which would consolidate the power of their kingdom. Through a mysterious disruption in linear time known as aDragon Break, believed to be the work ofAkatosh, the Dragon God of Time, somehow four of the contesting factions,Wayrest, Daggerfall, Orsinium,andThe Emperorallprocured Numidium.
The huge metropolis of Daggerfall is likely to feature prominently should The Elder Scrolls 6 take place in High Rock.
Subsequently, a series of cataclysmic events occurred all over High Rock, wiping out swathes of the population and reducing the number of kingdoms from 44 to just the four above. Despite the near-apocalyptic levels of destruction across High Rock, the Warp in the West later became known as theMiracle of Peacefor the relative stability it established in the region from that point on, and the subsequent prosperity it brought the four remaining factions.
The Miracle of Peace didn’t just benefit the kingdoms who got their hands on Numidium. In the latter years of the Third Era, the Kingdoms ofNorthpointandEvermoretook advantage of the power vacuums surrounding them to extend their reach.
Meanwhile,Orsiniumwas sacked and rebuilt several times over the eras. Its last sacking came in the early years of the Fourth Era at the hands of a combined force of Redguard and Bretons. The last we heard of it, Orsinium no longer existed as a major kingdom in High Rock.
By the middle of the Fourth Era, there were only five major kingdoms in High Rock -Daggerfall, Wayrest, Camlorn, Northpoint,andEvermore.The exact status of these in the time period Elder Scrolls 6 is likely to take place remains something of a mystery, but they’re the most likely kingdoms to remain extant at the time the game will take place.
