The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel has been discussed up and down ever since its official title announcement, but players are most interested in the story content the game might be covering. A cryptic tease of text at the end of the title trailer revealed that the game would take place in the region of Hammerfell, an important location in The Elder Scrolls‘ fictional continent of Tamriel. The rich story telling potential of this region is largely tied to the factions that operate within it, whose presence could create the most interesting quests in the game.
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Factions have always been key players in The Elder Scrolls games, usually being the driving force behind compelling side quest content that sometimes even overshadows the main narrative. Some teases for The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel‘s story already point toward some factions being involved, with fan theories pointing toward others that could play a role due to the history of the franchise. Between Hammerfell exclusive groups and returning fan-favorite factions, there are plenty that should return for players to interact with or join throughout their adventure.
5. The Dark Brotherhood
The Dark Brotherhood is certainly one of the most well-known factions in The Elder Scrolls, mainly due to the evergreen popularity of Skyrim and the group’s place within that game. The Dark Brotherhood has arguably the best series of quests in Skyrim, starting off with the assassin’s guild kidnapping your character after you interrupt one of their killings. Sending you a simple message that just says “We know,” the introduction of this faction is instantly memorable, and doesn’t get any duller as you continue to engage with the group. Pursuing missions within the Dark Brotherhood feels impactful too, with your character even killing an Emperor through the faction.
The cult-like Dark Brotherhood is full of memorable characters (like Skyrim‘s jester Cicero), usually occupying a secretive space in the games the faction is featured in. Oblivion has a version of the Dark Brotherhood with multiple sanctuaries across Cyrodiil, while The Elder Scrolls 3: Tribunal makes them the primary antagonists against the player. Although not featured as a joinable faction in Morrowind, the Dark Brotherhood has a presence in the shadows that often outshines the Thieves’ Guild or similar sinister organizations. Even when you don’t see them, you can imagine that their haunting work continues as mysterious deaths are reported in places your character visits.
What makes the Dark Brotherhood a mainstay for The Elder Scrolls series is how it is not a faction that is easy to join right away. Unlike other guilds, which simply let you join for finishing one task or quest, the Dark Brotherhood is pure cloak and dagger, only letting you join up once you track down their secret sanctum and saying a password. The secrecy behind the faction is what makes it truly interesting, as it never exists too clearly and requires a cruel ingenuity to discover. The novelty behind an “evil” faction like the Dark Brotherhood makes it an easy fit to return in Sentinel as a fan-favorite group.
4. The Crowns/The Forebears
When researching anything related to Hammerfell in The Elder Scrolls series, you’ll always be met with two groups that drive the politics in the region — The Crowns and The Forebears. These are the foundational factions in Hammerfell, with each groups’ ancestors being tied into the nation’s inception, as well as the construction of the titular Sentinel coastal city within it. These factions are not only integral to the foundation of Hammerfell, but also are responsible for its cultural identity, making them two groups that need to be represented in The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel in some way.
The Crowns are descendants of the noble Na-Totambu, an aristocrat from the sunken nation of Yokuda. As a result, the Crowns are very traditionalist, holding onto ancient Yokudan laws, culture, and ideas of monarchy within the northern areas of Hammerfell. The Crowns favor hereditary monarchs and restrictive religious dogma in some cases, with stricter societal rules driving their decisions. Meanwhile, The Forebears are significantly more progressive in their structure, not worshiping the old Yokuda gods, but rather adopting the traditional Elder Scrolls panethon seen in other regions.
The Forebears are mostly based on the southern parts of Hammerfell, with an accepting view toward trade, cultural influence, and other forms of interaction with surrounding countries. Descended from the warrior vanguard Ra Gada, the Redguard fighters are renowned from this group, appearing in other Elder Scrolls games in different quest lines due to their notoriety. Leaning toward a de-centralized government, it’s no wonder that the Crowns and Forebears often get into conflict, erupting in civil war that has shaped the region. It should be assumed that Sentinel will feature these factions in some ways, but the more emphasis is put on them, the more interesting the Hammerfell story will be.
3. The Mage’s Guild
An older faction in the history of The Elder Scrolls games is the Mage’s Guild, which played a prominent role in Oblivion before being replaced by the College of Winterhold in Skyrim. A place for magical learning seems like a no-brainier for any fantasy game, acting as a location where players can learn basic spell craft and alchemy however they see fit. As an organization that doesn’t get involved in politics often, the plots around the Mage’s Guild are often deeper than just conflicts against other groups. As a result, learning from Archmages and discovering secrets behind dangerous magics makes for a faction always worth including.
That being said, the Mage’s Guild’s role in The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel perhaps needs to be larger than the College was in Skyrim. In Skyrim, beyond the quests tied to the location, there was little reason to visit the area outside of buying high-level magic off the best mages there, making the area more of a shopping venue with a magic aesthetic. In past games, the Mage’s Guild was a place where players could customize their spells, creating deeper RPG systems around the Magika system in the game. Having the Mage’s Guild feel like it exists outside Hammerfell would be good for Sentinel too, preventing it from becoming isolated like the College was in Skyrim.
2. The Cyrodilic Empire
Another consistent faction throughout The Elder Scrolls is the Empire, or more specifically, the Cyrodilic Empire from the central region of Tamriel. Cyrodiil was the main location for Oblivion, with its main plot beginning with the assassination of the Emperor of the nation (who was voice acted by Sir Patrick Stewart). Yet, the Empire has been present in nearly every game, also being a key player behind the events of Skyrim due to their conflict with the Stormcloak rebellions in the northern nation. Choosing between the Empire and Stormcloaks was one of the biggest plot points of Skyrim, so to see the Empire return could bring about that same attention.
While the Stormcloaks are native to the region of Skyrim alone, the Empire has been known to interfere in Hammerfell politics as well. In fact, the civil war between the Crowns and the Forebears was largely stopped due to the Empire stepping in to stop the conflict, but the scars of that interference have weighed heavily on the nation ever since. While not occupational like they are in Skyrim, Hammerfell’s continued work with the Empire creates a strong divide within its society. In The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel, the Empire could still play a big part in the events of that game, acting as another political party to consider as your character makes impactful choices during their journey.
1. The Thalmor
The Thalmor is the radical military-political branched off from the Aldmeri Dominion, the elven faction whose control reaches from the Summerset Isles to the forested Valenwood and Elsweyr territories of Tamriel. Ruled by the High Elves of the Summerset Isles, the Aldmeri Dominion is made of of Mer people, or Elvish descended species, such as the High Elves (Altmer), Wood Elves (Bosmer), and Khajit to some extent. The Altmer are obsessed with cultural supremacy, displayed the most through the actions of The Thalmor, who act as instigators and mercenaries to other regions to stir conflict and weaken the world of Men.
One of The Elder Scrolls‘ biggest conflicts is the Great War, a massive conflict where the Empire of Cyrodiil fought the Aldmeri Dominion, ending in a harsh peace forced upon the Empire. During this conflict, Hammerfell’s Crowns and Forebears fought together against the Dominion, who wished to invade Hammerfell to gain control of The Adamantine Tower, a location where the gods supposedly created all of reality. The desire to control such a powerful artifact and the magics within it have always led the Thalmor to desire dominion over Hammerfell, putting them in a prime position to be the main antagonists of Sentinel.
Skyrim had plenty of Thalmor agents to interact with, as they had an Embassy in the Empire controlled city of Solitude, and are directly involved in hunting down members of the dragon-slaying Blades. Despite not having a primary role in the story, their presence is felt, whether it’s from the disdainful contempt that comes from any Thalmor you talk to or from the fierce challenge presented when fighting one of their powerful Justiciars. For The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel to be a compelling story, it will need a faction like the Thalmor present to act as a group players will want to burn down rather than join.
What factions from past Elder Scrolls games do you want to see in Sentinel? Let us know in the comments below!
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