Following the release of yesterday’s brief new The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel teaser trailer, story speculation is running rampant across communities dedicated to the fantasy series, with fans theorising everything from alternative histories to split timelines.
Yesterday’s teaser – which arrived as part of Bethesda’s 40th anniversary celebrations and comes amid devastating cuts across Xbox’s first-party studios – was minimal. It opened with a shot of desert sand, before revealing the subtitle ‘Sentinel’ and ending with a quote from an unknown character. It’s not much to go on, but is proving just enough to encourage discussion around what may be in store for Bethesda’s next RPG.
Watch the Elder Scrolls 6 teaser trailer here.Watch on YouTube
And a good place to start is that quote. “The scroll offered only a shimmer, a veil thinly lifted to my eyes,” it reads. “A future lost. A victory undone. Sands of time scattered by fate.” All this is attributed to Yazar, Moth Priest of High Queen Iradne of Hammerfell, , but some fans think the accompanying date – 4E 206 – might be just as significant.
“[Sentinel] likely takes place five or more years after the start of Skyrim,” hypothesised Reddit user 04nc1n9. “Hammerfell is a monarchy, it hasn’t changed to any other political system after their imperial secession. The monarchy of Hammerfell has a Moth Priest on hand, even though the Moth Priests are generally an Imperial thing. Hammerfell’s monarch has access to an Elder Scroll after the Elder Scrolls scattered.”
This unexpected link between Moth Priests and Hammerfell’s High Queen has created speculation of its own. One theory, combined with the proximity of Sentinel’s story to that of Skyrim, has the Thalmor play a key role. “[It’s] likely the Thalmor being the antagonists with so little time having passed,” wrote user Jonesketi, “and with justifiable knowledge of how to cause great harm with the Elder Scrolls, [this] would’ve prompted [Hammerfell] to begin their own preparations. [The Thalmor are] also such a fitting antagonist since we didn’t get to kick them down in Skyrim, which would offer catharsis if it came in Sentinel.”
As for the quote itself, its vague wording has inspired some particularly out-there speculation. Some fans are looking back to previously vanquished forces in the series, in light of the phrase “a victory undone”, and are theorising it might refer to a Dragon Break – an in-universe timeline split in which multiple events can all occur and simultaneously be true once the timelines reconverge. In previous games, Dragon Breaks have served as a handy explanation for the multiple endings.
Talk of “undone” events set user Wafelze’s mind to the Numidium, a giant mechanical golem whose activation in The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall caused its own Dragon Break. “With how important time is to Skyrim’s story,” they speculated, “it wouldn’t surprise me if this story is about time being entirely broken.”
“See, I’m thinking it has to do with the creation of Nirn and Lorkhan,” wrote Potential Film 7140. “The Altmer hate Lorkhan and men see the creation of the world as a victory. The elves did not … maybe they’ll try to undo what created the divines so they can go back to their original ancestry. Wildly out-there take but that’s what my brain tells me.”
What’s more, the theories around split timelines and the Thalmor have converged with thoughts of a possible ‘Man in the High Castle’-style alternate history setting for Sentinel, unfolding in a version of the world where the Thalmor have power. “Maybe the Empire originally held together after Oblivion, and the Thalmor used some cheater Elder Scroll magic to rewrite history so that they dunked on the Empire,” suggested Original League 6094. “Or if I recall, Hammerfell was doing a great job beating the Thalmor as of Skyrim. Maybe the version of events got overwritten and now Hammerfell is under Thalmor subjugation, and the Elder Scroll is giving her glimpses of the timeline where Hammerfell won.”
Will these theories prove to be true? With the launch of Sentinel still reportedly years away, it could be some time before we find out. But if nothing else, this feverish story speculation suggests there’s a major hunger among fans for information – any information – about Sentinel. And that’s no real surprise. After all, yesterday’s teaser was only the second official look at a game whose reveal has been dragging on for over eight years now.