When Skyrim was released by Bethesda nearly ten years ago, it threw fantasy fans into an expansive game world unlike many players had ever seen. To this day, new mysteries are still being discovered in Skyrim’s hundreds of quests as players wait for The Elder Scrolls 6.
One such questline is the College of Winterhold quests, which have implications in Skyrim which could hint at some important potential developments in The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Psijic Order
During the quest Under Saarthal the player finds the Saarthal Amulet, which points them towards a breakable wall. Once the wall is broken, the player receives a vision of an Altmer man in mysterious robes who turns out to be a monk named Nerien, a member of the Psijic Order. The Psijic Order is one of the most ancient factions in all of the Elder Scrolls lore.
The order began on the island of Artaeum, one of the Summerset Isles that forms the home of the Altmer. They are said to be the first to develop Mysticism in Tamriel, and they are treated with both reverence and suspicion for their secrecy. It was from the Psijic Order that the Mages Guild would eventually be formed as a separate entity in 2E 230, two whole eras before the events of Skyrim, and around 350 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls Online.
The role of the Psijic Order in the College of Winterhold can at times be almost frustratingly obscure for some players. The vision of Nerien vanishes after telling the Dragonborn that the order is watching them carefully. After that, another Psijic Monk named Quaranir can be found talking to the Arch-Mage Savos Aren. When the player enters with Ancano, a Thalmor advisor from the Aldmeri Dominion, Quaranir freezes time and tells the Dragonborn that the orb they found in Sarrthal is the Eye of Magnus and guides them on who to bring it to for more answers.
At the end of the questline, the Dragonborn has to fight and defeat Ancano to stop the Thalmor from taking possession of The Eye of Magnus. Quaranir takes the magical object and promises to seal it away where it cannot fall into the wrong hands again, announcing the Dragonborn the new arch-mage before disappearing once and for all.
Implications for TES 6
Many players find the Winterhold quests frustrating because it leaves them with questions about the nature of the Eye of Magnus and its powers, as well as the Psijic Order itself and their ultimate goals. Indeed, the Psijic Order appears and disappears at will throughout the Skyrim questline, guiding the Dragonborn to do their bidding, and the player is almost forced to trust them to continue with the quests.
However, if the Psijic Order has ulterior motives, then the Dragonborn has just delivered them one of the most powerful objects in The Elder Scrolls, under the promise that they will secure it. It is clear that the order has the ability to manipulate time, space, and people, so it is very possible that the Psijic Order could have secret motives that will only be revealed in The Elder Scrolls 6. If TES 6 is set in Hammerfell, the order could even be allies when dealing with the Dominion to the south.
If nothing else, the Psijic Order is in possession of extremely powerful artifacts, and if they have overestimated themselves the order could fall victim to its own arrogance by allowing these items to fall into the wrong hands. The Psijic Order is one of the strangest and most mysterious factions in all of The Elder Scrolls, and many fans will be interested to see if and how they return in Bethesda’s next installment in the series.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.