The Elder Scrolls series is one of the most praised RPG series of all time, partly because of its fully-fledged storylines that constantly put the player at the center of the world's plights. While each game takes place in a different time period of Tamriel's history, they all take place in the same universe and thus are tied into each other's history.
From The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, references to historical events and happenings from previous games constantly come up in each entry of the series. Sometimes, the game will reference something the player directly experienced in a previous game, and other times familiar faces will return, even after ages have passed.
7 The Prophecy Of The Dragonborn References Arena and Daggerfall...
The Prophecy of the Dragonborn can be found in Skyrim in the Book of the Dragonborn – this book is easily distinguished among other books because its front cover bears the logo of the game. The first two lines of the prophecy reference the events of Arena and Daggerfall directly.
"When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world" references the pieces of the Staff of Chaos central to the story of Arena. The next line, "when the Brass Tower walks and time is reshaped" references the Warp in the West, a discontinuity of time that occurred in Daggerfall.
6 ...As Well As The Death of The Emperor And The Eruption of Red Mountain
Arena and Daggerfall aren't the only ones referenced in the Prophecy of the Dragonborn. The events of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are also referenced. It's unlikely that the story of Skyrim was laid out from the very start, but it's nonetheless a neat way to tie the games together.
The third line, "when the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles" references the explosion of Red Mountain and the fall of the Tribunal. The fourth line, "when the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls" references the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and the Oblivion crisis.
5 Sheogorath, From Oblivion, Talks About King Lysandus
Sheogorath as a character has appeared in two Elder Scrolls games, three if you count The Elder Scrolls Online. While this kind of makes him a self-encapsulated reference to the events from previous games, he also references King Lysandus from Daggerfall.
If the player tells Sheogorath in Skyrim that they intend to bring him back from vacation, he will ask who sent the request. One of his guesses is the Ghost of King Lysandus who, of course, a king of Daggerfall in the second Elder Scrolls title.
4 Jiub, The First Person You Meet In Morrowind, Is In Soul Cairn
The beginning sequence of Morrowind is among the most iconic introductions from any game of the early 2000's. Jiub, a Dark Elf, famously tells the player, "stand up... there you go. You were dreaming." It's a simple enough introduction to the rest of the game.
In the Soul Cairn in Skyrim, the player can once again talk to Jiub, now in spectral form many, many years after the events of Morrowind. Interestingly enough, he is also referenced in Oblivion as a hero, whose claim to fame was ridding Vvardenfell of cliff racers.
3 Tarhiel, The Mage With The Scroll Of Icaran Flight, Is Referenced
Tarhiel the Mage from Morrowind is one of the most surprising characters in the game, to put it in a word. He suddenly flies out of the sky from nowhere, lands with a thud, and immediately dies. Upon looting his corpse, the player will find a Scroll of Icaran Flight, which allows them to jump extremely high – so high that sometimes it breaks the game.
In the Dragonborn expansion for Skyrim, the player can find a reference to this infamous character on Solstheim. There, there is a random chance to encounter a Wood Elf wizard who rapidly flies away when approached. The spell apparently doesn't work, they fall to their demise.
2 Cicero Claims To Have Been The Adoring Fan In The Imperial City's Arena
Cicero is the guardian of the coffin of the Night Mother, the matriarch of the Dark Brotherhood alongside Sithis, in Skyrim. He takes the appearance of a jester, he makes random comical actions like dancing, but he also has lived far longer than most in the province of Skyrim.
In one of his journals, the player can discover that Cicero once took the form of a starstruck fan in a contract to kill the Grand Champion of the Imperial City Arena. It's heavily implied that this was the Adoring Fan who so annoyed players grinding out the Arena. So technically, in the Skyrim timeline, Cicero canonically assassinated the player back in Cyrodil.
1 Romlyn Dreth Talks Big Of His Ancestor, Valen Dreth
Valen Dreth is the counterpart to Jiub in Oblivion, as the first character the player meets while imprisoned. He mocks the player for their choices in character creation, namely their race, and always confidently ends his jeering with, "you're going to die down here."
Then, as it just so happens, the player is freed and Valen Dreth stays in prison. In Skyrim, the player can encounter one of his descendants, Romlyn Dreth, in Riften. He claims that Valen Dreth was actually sent to prison in Oblivion because he fought six Imperial guards at once.