The universe of Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series is vastly different than that of most standard fantasy RPGs. From time travel to divine ascension, the franchise is full of complex and sometimes even unexplained phenomena that can be confusing to both new players and lifetime fans alike. Although a few of these elements have become less prominent in recent releases such as Skyrim, the Elder Scrolls 6 could change this, bringing back some of the most unique and interesting pieces of lore from the series.
Much of The Elder Scrolls lore was created to explain in-game events, such as the ending of Daggerfall, which contained multiple different pathways for players to choose from and necessitated a way to make all endings canon simultaneously. Other elements were simply introduced as an inherent part of the rule-breaking fantasy elements of Elder Scrolls' universe which, over time, made less frequent appearances. For example, the concept of apotheosis (or ascending to godhood) was a major plot element in both Morrowind and Oblivion, but by the time of Skyrim it received far less narrative focus.
Seeing as the tone and landscape of the franchise is continually shifting, it's uncertain which elements of the Elder Scrolls' ongoing lore will play significant roles in The Elder Scrolls 6. Little is known about the story of the game, or even its place on the timeline, and it seems as though it will be quite some time before concrete details are revealed, given that TES 6 is still in its early design stages. For the time being, fans can look at some of the larger concepts from previous games to speculate what could be re-introduced in the next entry to the series.
Weirdest Potential Elder Scrolls 6 Lore - CHIM
The process of CHIM (pronounced more like "kim") allows a mortal character within The Elder Scrolls series to ascend to a state of godhood, allowing for direct manipulation of the universe. Vivec and Talos are two examples of characters who are likely to have achieved CHIM within the games, and many fans speculate that the dwemer were attempting something similar when they mysteriously disappeared from Tamriel. If The Elder Scrolls 6 re-introduces the dwemer, the concept of CHIM might be brought up again as well.
Weirdest Potential Elder Scrolls 6 Lore - Dragon Breaks
Dragon Breaks are a phenomenon that causes time to split apart (the titular "Dragon" is Dragon-god Akatosh, whose sphere of influence is Time) into several divergent timelines simultaneously, resulting in a universe in which several drastically different events all seemingly occurred at once when the timelines come back together. It was first introduced to canonize the multiple different endings of Daggerfall, and could be used to resolve the issue of the canon victor of Skyrim's civil war in The Elder Scrolls 6.
Weirdest Potential Elder Scrolls 6 Lore - Mantling
Mantling is another process in which an individual in The Elder Scrolls series can achieve godhood. In contrast to CHIM, however, mantling constitutes taking up the role, powers, and perhaps even identity of an already-existing god. In Oblivion, for example, the player character is able to mantle the Daedric Prince Sheogorath during the Shivering Isles DLC; later on in Skyrim, it's strongly implied that the identities of both Sheogorath and the Champion of Cyrodiil have merged into one being. This could make it possible for the protagonist of The Elder Scrolls 6 to mantle another divine figure within the events of the game.