In the beginning of almost every Elder Scrolls game, the protagonist is a prisoner, and Elder Scrolls 6 can continue the trend once it releases. The protagonist of the second game, Daggerfall, is the only one who does not start the game in irons for some reason or another. It's one of the series' most prominent traditions, and one that has a lot of potential when it comes to introducing new themes and plotlines for Elder Scrolls 6.
At the start of the first ever Elder Scrolls game, Arena, the player character is thrown in jail by Jagar Tharn, who has assumed the identity of Tamriel's Emperor, Uriel Septim VII. In Morrowind, the protagonist is a prisoner of unknown background, who has been freed by Uriel Septim VII eight years before the start of Arena. In Oblivion, the Elder Scrolls' historic Septim Dynasty came to an end partly due to the actions of one prisoner in the dungeons of the Imperial Prison, who has been entrusted with the Amulet of Kings by Uriel Septim VII immediately before his assassination. In Skyrim, players take on the role of another unknown prisoner who has been captured alongside several Stormcloak rebels by the Imperial Legion, and is saved from execution by the dragon Alduin.
There are a few possibilities for how Elder Scrolls 6's protagonist can be a prisoner at the start of the game. It's also possible that it will break the trend and have the main character start out free, but it seems unlikely given that it's such a long-standing tradition. It could also help to deepen the character creation mechanics; if Bethesda lets players decide their characters' background and what crimes they committed, TES6 can embrace complexity whereas Skyrim and Oblivion were too simple, and left their protagonist's histories blank. It does lend itself greatly to roleplay in doing so, but if TES6 did its character-building right - and perhaps borrowed the background selection Bethesda recently showed off for Starfield - then it could be even better than if its protagonists were blank slates.
Players Could End Up A Pirate Prisoner In Elder Scrolls 6
One of the biggest rumors surrounding Elder Scrolls 6 at the moment is that it is set in Hammerfell, a nation that is rife with sailors. Sailing mechanics are another big rumor, and together, they point towards the possibility of the protagonist being a prisoner of a band of pirates at the beginning of TES6, or perhaps a pirate themselves who has been captured by the nation's authorities. There are any number of reasons that pirates could have imprisoned the protagonist, especially if Elder Scrolls 6 uses an origin system. They may have stowed away on their ship and been captured, are being held for ransom, or are being forced to work as one of their crew. If they are a pirate that has found themselves captured by Hammerfell's government, then the reasons for the imprisonment would be fairly obvious and may not have as much flexibility with an origin system.
An opening quest involving a capture by pirates has a wide range of possibilities. It could start out in a ship either on the open ocean or in a port, and both have their own advantages. Escaping the ship's brig and commandeering the ship could be a great way to introduce players to the sailing mechanics, and give them a great deal of freedom in terms of their next steps. If Elder Scrolls 6 has Skyrim's Survival Mode, managing food and water aboard a ship with a limited amount of both could also serve as a good introduction and help them adjust. If the protagonist is themselves a pirate, then escaping the law and trying to reunite with their former crew could also be an exciting first arc to Elder Scrolls 6's story.
Players Could Become Prisoners In High Rock In Elder Scrolls 6
Another rumored location for Elder Scrolls 6 is High Rock, the land of the Bretons. The region has long since been marred by internal strife, with hundreds of small kingdoms vying for supremacy, but in the fourth era, there are only five primary ones. Although the news of Elder Scrolls Online's newest expansion, High Isle, reduces the probability somewhat, there is a great deal of potential when it comes to the protagonist as a prisoner in High Rock in Elder Scrolls 6. They could end up as a political prisoner of any one of the five kingdoms because they voiced support for another, or be accused of being a spy - whether it's true or not. They may also end up as a captive of one of these kingdoms after an invasion of their home village or city on their part.
Being a political prisoner of one of High Rock's five main kingdoms has a few different directions it could go in. If Elder Scrolls 6 lets players customize their background, it may even be possible to choose which kingdom has imprisoned them, harkening back to their choice between Ralof and Hadvar in Skyrim. Even if not, escaping from a dungeon like the Hero of Kvatch did at the start of Oblivion sounds fun and exciting, and could show what Elder Scrolls 6 has learned from Oblivion and what other features it brought back or improved upon. Fleeing during a prisoner transport can also be a good way to start if Bethesda needs to make Elder Scrolls 6 more original.
The Protagonist Could Start Elder Scrolls 6 As A Thalmor Prisoner
Regardless of the setting of Elder Scrolls 6, another good way to start out as a prisoner is as a captive of the infamous Thalmor. They serve as one of the primary antagonists of Skyrim, so they could reprise their role and become a major villain in the next Elder Scrolls game. As Skyrim proved, the Thalmor take a great many prisoners, for just about any reason imaginable. Being a Talos worshipper - or even just a suspected one - could be a good motivation, though it's far from the only one. A Thalmor prisoner beginning may have the most flexibility and be the best option for a character origin system akin to Starfield's, and could serve to showcase Elder Scrolls 6's alleged leaked political system.
An opening quest as a Thalmor prisoner could be quite tricky. They're the elite agents of the Aldmeri Dominion, and are known to be well-versed in magic and have great numbers to guard their prisoners. It may not be feasible for players to escape on their own, leaving outside intervention like Alduin's attack on Helgen in Skyrim a distinct possibility. Whether that intervention would come from friend or foe largely depends on the context of the protagonist's imprisonment and where exactly they're being held. Regardless of how it does it, Elder Scrolls 6 has the chance to make the best prisoner opening yet, so it should make sure to do it right.