Letters being sent out to streamers in advance of the reveal

jaws343 · January 18

Soarora wrote: »

I’m very caught up on the two world thing. Is the wording specific? If so, realms and planets can be counted out. The only other world I know is Lyg, but I don’t know why Lyg would be important to save other than it’s historical connections to gods. And its at least two, not just two.

I wouldn't be surprised if the two world stuff is a hint at a zone split similar to Skyrim/Blackreah, Blackwood/Deadlands.

A overland and some sort of either Deadric Realm like Apocrypha.

NotaDaedraWorshipper · January 18

Syldras wrote: »

Wondering if the name of the writer might also be a small hint (of course it doesn't necessarily have to be). The name Leramil is either Altmer or Dunmer.

Sounds more altmer or bosmer to me. But all three of those races can sometimes have very similar names, though I'd say it's leaning mostly to altmer.

Elsonso · January 18

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

Syldras wrote: »

Wondering if the name of the writer might also be a small hint (of course it doesn't necessarily have to be). The name Leramil is either Altmer or Dunmer.

Sounds more altmer or bosmer to me. But all three of those races can sometimes have very similar names, though I'd say it's leaning mostly to altmer.

Dunmer all the way would be my first guess.

Clyde_BlueSnake · January 18

For Mora involved, oh the swirling thoughts of spellcrafting could be the new feature & now we probably could go to Aporcrypha. (it appearance probably no difference from seen in Skyrim, but still interesting to visit there (& Battlespire) during the 2nd era) Oh, I wish the 25th come quicker.

BloodyStigmata · January 18

Darkstorne wrote: »

Trinotops wrote: »

There is a Maormer cult dedicated to Hermaeus Mora mentioned in ESO
Also Leramil seems like more of an Altmer or perhaps Maormer name to me.
So maybe we'll get Pyandonea and the new feature will be playable Maormer.

So, while I still think this is unlikely, there are a few more clues that could hint at this being the case.
During a stream introducing the new loremaster last year, as part of the High Isle hype train, he was asked by Gina to suggest a word for chat to use in order to enter a give-away. Without even a second of hesitation he shouted out "Pyandonea!" and that always struck me as interesting. Was that just instantly reaching for a difficult word for people to type? Or was that because Pyandonea was his primary focus at the time, and something he was really excited to be working on? Could also just have been because of the Moarmer focus of Firesong but...

Firesong added a WHOLE lot of new Moarmer assets. Even little things like candlesticks with sea serpent designs. Was that exclusively for Firesong, or to help spread the load of asset creation required for a Pyandonea Chapter out across an additional year?

Firesong also had a lot of water magic on display from various NPCs, such as Dhulef. Maybe that's hinting at a new class focused on water magic coming? We know previous classes like Wardens and Necros drew upon existing spells and effects in the game. If so, Pyandonea is the perfect place to introduce a water class.

Don't do this. Don't give me hope.

Seraphayel · January 18

Honest question, what do people find interesting about a new race? All races in ESO besides Khajit / Argonian look basically identical with different faces. Maormer would look exactly like Altmer / Dunmer just with a different skin shade.

If we’d talk about very distinctive and different races like in WoW, Lord of the Rings Online or Guild Wars 2 for example, I’d totally understand the excitement. But all ESO races are build from the exact same model and have minimal differences outside of their faces (and in many cases even the faces are very similar).

axi · January 18

My blind guess would be that we will get northern part of Skyrim. Spellcrafting was planned to be connected to mages guild and spells shown in early development were pretty much mimicing spells from Skyrim so what is the better place to introduce us to spellcrafting than College of Winterhold. It's also not far from Solstheim which some people here already suggested as possible choice.

Elsonso · January 18

axi wrote: »

My blind guess would be that we will get northern part of Skyrim. Spellcrafting was planned to be connected to mages guild and spells shown in early development were pretty much mimicing spells from Skyrim so what is the better place to introduce us to spellcrafting than College of Winterhold. It's also not far from Solstheim which some people here already suggested as possible choice.

Could be. We know that HM is hiding out in a cave north of Winterhold trying to get someone to open a Dwemer puzzle box. Maybe this is when he starts.

ZOS_Kevin · January 18

Me, reading everyone's theories:

TaSheen · January 18

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Me, reading everyone's theories:

LOL! Love it!

Elsonso · January 18

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Me, reading everyone's theories:

I checked. Michael Jackson is not lore friendly. Hmm. Does this mean a cross over IP deal?

SilverIce58 · January 18

Seraphayel wrote: »

Honest question, what do people find interesting about a new race? All races in ESO besides Khajit / Argonian look basically identical with different faces. Maormer would look exactly like Altmer / Dunmer just with a different skin shade.

If we’d talk about very distinctive and different races like in WoW, Lord of the Rings Online or Guild Wars 2 for example, I’d totally understand the excitement. But all ESO races are build from the exact same model and have minimal differences outside of their faces (and in many cases even the faces are very similar).

The current iteration of Maormer don't fully look like Altmer or Dunmer tho. They've got jagged knife-ears and some have scales on their faces and bodies. Not to mention the passives would be different to account for their sea-fairing lifestyle. Maybe an increase to swim speed like argonians have, resistance to shock damage, and decrease cost of class abilities by 2/4/8%.

What I find most interesting about them is the lore. Maybe they'll give us some Sea Elf themed homes and furniture to match them if we get the race.

Faulgor · January 18

Malthorne wrote: »

Not only does it reveal Hermaeus Mora but also that we are going to Blacklight. Very clever ZOS

Are they finally going to fix the map if we are going to Blacklight?

Only thing I want to add is that, if this is part of a multi-year story as they said to expect, not everything teased here might show up in the upcoming chapter. E.g. the saving two worlds part. But we'll see.

Fata1moose · January 18

Two worlds thing is interesting. I think Morrowind is the obvious location given last years hint. I just want new weapon skill lines (spell and 1 handed, spears, crossbows). Spell crafting sounds like a bad idea with tons of balance issues but I could see it.

Snamyap · January 18

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Me, reading everyone's theories:

Zombie outbreak confirmed.

DrNukenstein · January 18

Supreme_Atromancer wrote: »

Alright, while the US is asleep, let me post my ridiculously unlikely, but "wouldn't it be awesome if...":

The two worlds are Apocrypha and Shivering Isles.

Its actually a power struggle between the two Daedra that you get to choose a side, and a patron in .

"But there's absolutely no evidence of Sheogorath in any of this", I hear you say.

True. Its just ridiculous speculation and fancy.

But *IF* we were going to get spellcrafting FINALLY, and *IF* the Mage's Guild were still intended to serve a role in its return (as per the 2014 video describing spellcrafting), GIVEN that Sheo served as the primary antagonist during the original Mages Guild questline AND the repeatable MG dailies written later, and given that KNOWLEDGE and MADNESS go hand-in-hand in a deliciously Lovecraftian way, then... maybe?

I don't know but making 2023's world be explorable Apocrypha AND Shivering Isles would be pretty cool.

This right here is the best idea. If that's not the plan, there's still time to make it the plan.

ArchMikem · January 18

Elsonso wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

I see we're saving the world for the...oh, what are we up to now...fourth or fifth time?

Two of them, apparently.

When saving the World gets tiresome, why not add another World. Spice things up a bit.

Seraphayel · January 18

SilverIce58 wrote: »

Seraphayel wrote: »

Honest question, what do people find interesting about a new race? All races in ESO besides Khajit / Argonian look basically identical with different faces. Maormer would look exactly like Altmer / Dunmer just with a different skin shade.

If we’d talk about very distinctive and different races like in WoW, Lord of the Rings Online or Guild Wars 2 for example, I’d totally understand the excitement. But all ESO races are build from the exact same model and have minimal differences outside of their faces (and in many cases even the faces are very similar).

The current iteration of Maormer don't fully look like Altmer or Dunmer tho. They've got jagged knife-ears and some have scales on their faces and bodies. Not to mention the passives would be different to account for their sea-fairing lifestyle. Maybe an increase to swim speed like argonians have, resistance to shock damage, and decrease cost of class abilities by 2/4/8%.

What I find most interesting about them is the lore. Maybe they'll give us some Sea Elf themed homes and furniture to match them if we get the race.

I mean you just said it… they have different ears and scales in their faces. Scales on their body would be hidden by armor anyway. Passives are things you don’t even recognize, so it could be any race honestly.

I agree with the lore, but to experience their lore and style of living / culture we don’t need them as race, do we? At the end of the day everybody can slap some scales or skin on due to all the cosmetic stuff in this game. We don’t really need a new race just for passive and some hardly recognizable new ears or scales in their face.

I‘m not trying to ruin your fantasy or anything, I just find excitement for a new race that is just like every other race in most cases hard to understand. I have an Orc, a Breton, a Khajiit and an Altmer. If I’d put them in the same armor, the only thing that makes them different is the Khajiit tail and that my Orcs a bit buffer. Besides that, they’re all the same unless I scroll into their faces. With Maormer it would basically be the same - which is a shame, because Elder Scrolls has so many interesting races. But they’re just depicted very poorly when it comes to their models in ESO.

Seraphayel · January 18

Faulgor wrote: »

Malthorne wrote: »

Not only does it reveal Hermaeus Mora but also that we are going to Blacklight. Very clever ZOS

Are they finally going to fix the map if we are going to Blacklight?

Only thing I want to add is that, if this is part of a multi-year story as they said to expect, not everything teased here might show up in the upcoming chapter. E.g. the saving two worlds part. But we'll see.

Didn’t they specifically say that it’s not a year-long story and instead the Chapter itself is a closed story?

Vevvev · January 18

Malthorne wrote: »

Not only does it reveal Hermaeus Mora but also that we are going to Blacklight. Very clever ZOS

Does this mean they'll finally fix the world map?

That was something many people wanted for a while, and I'm all for that change.

ZOS_Kevin · January 18

Seraphayel wrote: »

Didn’t they specifically say that it’s not a year-long story and instead the Chapter itself is a closed story?

Here's what Matt said in his letter last month, "Given the above, 2023 will see us moving away from the "Year Long Adventure” 12-month storylines that we have featured since 2019's Season of the Dragon. I think these have run their course and frees us up to do some new and interesting content that we've been wanting to do for a few years now—and lets us return to expansive story arcs that unfold over multiple Chapters."

Iselin · January 18

Did someone say time warp?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdbLirsZ_4Q

Seraphayel · January 18

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Seraphayel wrote: »

Didn’t they specifically say that it’s not a year-long story and instead the Chapter itself is a closed story?

Here's what Matt said in his letter last month, "Given the above, 2023 will see us moving away from the "Year Long Adventure” 12-month storylines that we have featured since 2019's Season of the Dragon. I think these have run their course and frees us up to do some new and interesting content that we've been wanting to do for a few years now—and lets us return to expansive story arcs that unfold over multiple Chapters."

Ah. So back to the Morrowind and Summerset kind of storytelling, I get it know - thanks!

emilyhyoyeon · January 18

Vevvev wrote: »

Malthorne wrote: »

Not only does it reveal Hermaeus Mora but also that we are going to Blacklight. Very clever ZOS

Does this mean they'll finally fix the world map?

That was something many people wanted for a while, and I'm all for that change.

yeah, that was my first thought. Going to Blacklight but it doesn't exist on the current map XD

It would be around here in case anyone doesn't know

Auldwulfe · January 18

I can tell you EXACTLY what is going to happen.......

There will be places to go - people to fight - and things to do.

There will be things there, to Thong you...... your entrails will become your extrails...... it will..... um..... PAIN, lots and lots of PAIN......

Aulswulfe

Araneae6537 · January 18

Elsonso wrote: »

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

Syldras wrote: »

Wondering if the name of the writer might also be a small hint (of course it doesn't necessarily have to be). The name Leramil is either Altmer or Dunmer.

Sounds more altmer or bosmer to me. But all three of those races can sometimes have very similar names, though I'd say it's leaning mostly to altmer.

Dunmer all the way would be my first guess.

I hope so! I’d be excited for a Mer focused chapter and especially find the unique Dunmer culture and architectural styles fascinating — and the lands of Morrowind! Summerset is more traditionally beautiful and I hope the Bosmer get a focused chapter/DLC eventually (maybe Falinesti?) and Pyandonea could be exciting but I’m not expecting that! I will be disappointed if it’s more Nord/Skyrim stuff as that seems over-represented and not as interesting to me.

Involvement by Hermaeus Mora definitely intrigues me and I’m hoping for spell-crafting because I love to customize my characters (I’ll do what the group needs if taking on trial challenges and the like, but that’s only part of what I enjoy doing so most of my characters won’t be running the ultimate-spell-of-ever-so-slightly-but-essentially-bestest, lol, if it even does work that way).

Fata1moose · January 18

Vevvev wrote: »

Malthorne wrote: »

Not only does it reveal Hermaeus Mora but also that we are going to Blacklight. Very clever ZOS

Does this mean they'll finally fix the world map?

That was something many people wanted for a while, and I'm all for that change.

Hoping they remake the Rift and Eastmarch to look more like TES V and then also fix the map in the process since those regions are bordering.

Syldras · January 18

Elsonso wrote: »

Dunmer all the way would be my first guess.

If we go by these names lists:
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Altmer_Names
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Dunmer_Names
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Bosmer_Names
There's no Bosmer, 1 Dunmer and about a dozen of Altmer names ending with -amil. If we include -adil and -anil, Dunmer catch up. I think we can agree that it's definitively an elven name. Although that doesn't have to mean a thing at all, as that character doesn't have to be a native of next chapter's zone.

Hurbster · January 18

So, Proxy then.

Syldras · January 19

"Proxy, The tide of fate swirls around you with glorious fury and has chosen you to serve as its surrogate in a crisis most perilous."

I don't think there's more behind that.

So, to sum it up:

The person the letter is adressed to (player character, who else is known for saving the world?) was chosen by "the tide of fate" (= Hermaeus Mora) and therefore adressed by one of his cultists (that would be the mer Leramil - "the Wise" would also be a fitting rank for a Mora cult, btw) to stop some danger for 2 worlds, so probably for Nirn and his own realm (Apocrypha).

Who could be powerful enough to be a danger to Hermaeus Mora? Is any mortal capable of that, or only another Daedric Prince? If it's the latter, the traditional opponent is Vaermina the Dreamweaver, as was pointed out correctly, which also fits the description about the "the thread that keeps reality itself from unraveling".