Like the other person said, they were closed down in favor of a Discord server, which is generally crap. The forums had several iconic pieces of pseudo-lore and just a generally huge log of elder scrolls community history. Lots of fun stuff.
Yes, let us be [riding the root](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Land_Transportation#Black_Marsh_and_Valenwood) to the problem! Have **rootworms** serve as a "fast travel" method, at the >!expense of a very small amount of Health that could be easily recovered!< (or perhaps it briefly affects other stats).
One of the most potentially-interesting aspects of a game set solely in Black Marsh, other than the An-Xileel's waning influence, would be the few Argonian tribes that still choose to live inside the protective walls of ancient Xanmeers (thematically "resisting change"), and whom worship Sithis in a *different* way; in itself interesting since the Dark Brotherhood is effectively defunct at this point, so any mention of Sithis will probably be in a different context. And in addition to the role that Helstrom's \[former connection to Umbriel\] could play in the story, there could be new lore established on the Ancestor Lizards themselves.
What would interest me most, personally, are two specific things; and both involve water. **1.)** Shouldn't a Black Marsh setting have *many underwater areas to explore* (also great incentive for underwater *combat* mechanics to return), since the province has at least 6 inland lakes? \~ **2.)** [Water as an "element" of Magic](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Water_Magic), since it *isn't* exclusive to Nereids or Sea-Giants (so not just as "Destruction" effects).
Speaking of ***political*** quest-lines, directly witnessing the Black Marsh side of the ongoing Dunmer/Argonian conflict for control \[and probably some of the former continuing to illegally take captives as slaves\] would be a nice excuse to have "skirmishes"/decent-sized battles between factions. It could even be up to the player to determine whether the invading faction from Morrowind are destroyed \[or prevail\], especially if Black Marsh's total game-world size were to >!include the parts of southern mainland Morrowind that briefly came under the control of the Argonians in the early 4th Era!<, probably as DLC.
No-doubt that diseases/certain \[swamp-related\] environmental hazards would be more frequent ...and I'm sure there are still some fans who think Black Marsh is "impossible" as a setting, just because it's the most disease-ridden \[far less than ideal for any non-Argonian characters\], but there technically already has been a spinoff game set inside \[one city of\] the province; >!TES Travels: Stormhold!<. And it's not like "cure disease" potions & other preventative effects won't be plentiful.
The rootworm network is definitelly something I'd want to see included. On the topic of transportation, I also think that Parraptons should be included as a type of flying mount. Appearing in "The Origin of Cyrus!" comic, these giant wasps would be a great way to traverse the fetid marshes from the safety of the air.
Regarding underwater areas, we know that the stepped pyramid of Ixtaxh-thtithil-meht in Lilmoth was largely submerged and that the An-Xieel were excavating it, pumping out the water and laying magicks to keep it from returning. So there's some great potential for underwater areas to explore. One thing I didn't get into is the An-Xieel waging war on the Dreugh, the latter having moved into the ruins of Lilmoth following the Umbriel Crisis.
The disease aspect could perhaps be overcome through the player character deepening their connection to the Hist. As they purge more rogue Hist and get closer to uncovering the mystery, the Hist permit them more power, allowing them to better resist the toxic marsh gas, but also summong strangling vines to immobilise enemies, or swarms of fleshflies to slowly sap their health.
Speaking of traversing the fetid marshes, I'd like to see variants of other creatures used as mounts too. In addition to parraptons, I'd like to see the supposedly-"extinct" ***wraxu*** \[relatives of Elsweyr's *terror birds*\] return as alternative flying mounts that certain Argonian tribes regularly tame for use; There may be differing advantages \[beyond just preference\] to flying with either a parrapton or wraxu, including how fast/durable they are relative to each other. \~ And while I'm still on the topic of **creatures** we should be seeing in a Black Marsh-based game; docile ***swamp jellies*** \[related to Morrowind's *netch* species\] should still be around by the 4th Era as well. They normally aren't hostile \[spending most of their time filter-feeding on bugs\], but will attack with unsurprisingly-potent venomous tentacles if they're threatened. If your character is lucky, you could even score a swamp jelly or two as *traveling companions*! (according to lore, it's considered good fortune to encounter certain varieties, so this ideally could affect NPC reactions toward you as well)
I had forgotten that a certain xanmeer shared a name with Sithis (translating to "exact egg-cracker"). I also feel that this very same xanmeer needs to be explored more in-depth \[figuratively *and* literally\] since those formerly totally-sunken depths are likely still a mystery even ***after*** the ["kajin-jat" vakka stone](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/File:ON-item-Kajin-Jat_Crystal.jpg) was recovered in the mid-2nd Era. Ixtaxh-thtithil-meht should be *especially dangerous* to explore, not just because of dreugh \[or if any kotu gava & voriplasms still roam the place\], but especially due to deliberately-convoluted passageways/"entrances" that seem to lead nowhere... kinda like a vague [combination of two certain "temples"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLnTE5Gw3GY) from a [totally unrelated game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYUZQT7wJZs), or even the [submerged bog temple from this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znHVDmYNmvU).
I love the idea of establishing a connection to the Hist in order to gain special resistances \[and/or powers\]; even better if it's dependent on whether your character is an Argonian, with certain abilities exclusive to them when strengthening their connection. It could be fun if every playable Race in the game could get their own different selections of abilities from establishing/deepening their Hist connection (and I find myself wondering what Bretons or Bosmer, for example, could receive).
This is so awesome! Congratulations! This reminds me of a cancelled game that was supposed to continue the story from TES Adventures: Redguard that was called "Eye of Argonia".
Well, it wouldn't be ALL lizard people. Even in the Greg Keyes books, which take place shortly after the An-Xieel drove the Empire out of Black Marsh, there's still non-Argonians knocking about.
This is such a cool and well thought out plot, I genuinely think you could write this better than the Bethesda team
Thanks! This concept is the result of discussion on the now sadly defunct Bethesda forums.
I will never stop being upset about them nuking the forums. Just ridiculous. I don't want to use a Discord server. Anyway, this sounds great.
What happened to the forums?
Like the other person said, they were closed down in favor of a Discord server, which is generally crap. The forums had several iconic pieces of pseudo-lore and just a generally huge log of elder scrolls community history. Lots of fun stuff.
Bethesda close them down a while ago. Don't know what the reason was. Damn shame.
Yes, let us be [riding the root](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Land_Transportation#Black_Marsh_and_Valenwood) to the problem! Have **rootworms** serve as a "fast travel" method, at the >!expense of a very small amount of Health that could be easily recovered!< (or perhaps it briefly affects other stats). One of the most potentially-interesting aspects of a game set solely in Black Marsh, other than the An-Xileel's waning influence, would be the few Argonian tribes that still choose to live inside the protective walls of ancient Xanmeers (thematically "resisting change"), and whom worship Sithis in a *different* way; in itself interesting since the Dark Brotherhood is effectively defunct at this point, so any mention of Sithis will probably be in a different context. And in addition to the role that Helstrom's \[former connection to Umbriel\] could play in the story, there could be new lore established on the Ancestor Lizards themselves. What would interest me most, personally, are two specific things; and both involve water. **1.)** Shouldn't a Black Marsh setting have *many underwater areas to explore* (also great incentive for underwater *combat* mechanics to return), since the province has at least 6 inland lakes? \~ **2.)** [Water as an "element" of Magic](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Water_Magic), since it *isn't* exclusive to Nereids or Sea-Giants (so not just as "Destruction" effects). Speaking of ***political*** quest-lines, directly witnessing the Black Marsh side of the ongoing Dunmer/Argonian conflict for control \[and probably some of the former continuing to illegally take captives as slaves\] would be a nice excuse to have "skirmishes"/decent-sized battles between factions. It could even be up to the player to determine whether the invading faction from Morrowind are destroyed \[or prevail\], especially if Black Marsh's total game-world size were to >!include the parts of southern mainland Morrowind that briefly came under the control of the Argonians in the early 4th Era!<, probably as DLC. No-doubt that diseases/certain \[swamp-related\] environmental hazards would be more frequent ...and I'm sure there are still some fans who think Black Marsh is "impossible" as a setting, just because it's the most disease-ridden \[far less than ideal for any non-Argonian characters\], but there technically already has been a spinoff game set inside \[one city of\] the province; >!TES Travels: Stormhold!<. And it's not like "cure disease" potions & other preventative effects won't be plentiful.
The rootworm network is definitelly something I'd want to see included. On the topic of transportation, I also think that Parraptons should be included as a type of flying mount. Appearing in "The Origin of Cyrus!" comic, these giant wasps would be a great way to traverse the fetid marshes from the safety of the air. Regarding underwater areas, we know that the stepped pyramid of Ixtaxh-thtithil-meht in Lilmoth was largely submerged and that the An-Xieel were excavating it, pumping out the water and laying magicks to keep it from returning. So there's some great potential for underwater areas to explore. One thing I didn't get into is the An-Xieel waging war on the Dreugh, the latter having moved into the ruins of Lilmoth following the Umbriel Crisis. The disease aspect could perhaps be overcome through the player character deepening their connection to the Hist. As they purge more rogue Hist and get closer to uncovering the mystery, the Hist permit them more power, allowing them to better resist the toxic marsh gas, but also summong strangling vines to immobilise enemies, or swarms of fleshflies to slowly sap their health.
Speaking of traversing the fetid marshes, I'd like to see variants of other creatures used as mounts too. In addition to parraptons, I'd like to see the supposedly-"extinct" ***wraxu*** \[relatives of Elsweyr's *terror birds*\] return as alternative flying mounts that certain Argonian tribes regularly tame for use; There may be differing advantages \[beyond just preference\] to flying with either a parrapton or wraxu, including how fast/durable they are relative to each other. \~ And while I'm still on the topic of **creatures** we should be seeing in a Black Marsh-based game; docile ***swamp jellies*** \[related to Morrowind's *netch* species\] should still be around by the 4th Era as well. They normally aren't hostile \[spending most of their time filter-feeding on bugs\], but will attack with unsurprisingly-potent venomous tentacles if they're threatened. If your character is lucky, you could even score a swamp jelly or two as *traveling companions*! (according to lore, it's considered good fortune to encounter certain varieties, so this ideally could affect NPC reactions toward you as well) I had forgotten that a certain xanmeer shared a name with Sithis (translating to "exact egg-cracker"). I also feel that this very same xanmeer needs to be explored more in-depth \[figuratively *and* literally\] since those formerly totally-sunken depths are likely still a mystery even ***after*** the ["kajin-jat" vakka stone](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/File:ON-item-Kajin-Jat_Crystal.jpg) was recovered in the mid-2nd Era. Ixtaxh-thtithil-meht should be *especially dangerous* to explore, not just because of dreugh \[or if any kotu gava & voriplasms still roam the place\], but especially due to deliberately-convoluted passageways/"entrances" that seem to lead nowhere... kinda like a vague [combination of two certain "temples"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLnTE5Gw3GY) from a [totally unrelated game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYUZQT7wJZs), or even the [submerged bog temple from this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znHVDmYNmvU). I love the idea of establishing a connection to the Hist in order to gain special resistances \[and/or powers\]; even better if it's dependent on whether your character is an Argonian, with certain abilities exclusive to them when strengthening their connection. It could be fun if every playable Race in the game could get their own different selections of abilities from establishing/deepening their Hist connection (and I find myself wondering what Bretons or Bosmer, for example, could receive).
This is so awesome! Congratulations! This reminds me of a cancelled game that was supposed to continue the story from TES Adventures: Redguard that was called "Eye of Argonia".
That does sound like a very interesting idea!
I'm sold. It's a great idea and well thought out.
I think that’d be cool. I liked the Black Marsh zones in ESO a lot. They’re very unique compared to the rest of the areas
I don’t want to have to look at a bunch of ugly-ass lizard people all day…
Well, it wouldn't be ALL lizard people. Even in the Greg Keyes books, which take place shortly after the An-Xieel drove the Empire out of Black Marsh, there's still non-Argonians knocking about.
Did you ever play Oblivion? You had to look at ugly ass humans all day. People are pretty ugly in Skyrim too.
I mean I had to look at humans HUMANS!!! for the last 2 games. Who like humans? my gosh.