Bethesda has control over two of gaming’s greatest RPG series and fictional universes, the post-apocalyptic Fallout and the fantastical Elder Scrolls. One is a massive parody of nationalism and corporate greed pushed to the thresholds of parody, and the other is a massive fantasy land of lost civilizations, decrepit temples, dragons and clashing armies of shields and spells. They’re so far removed from one another, it seems unlikely they could share in-universe connections pointing towards them being one and the same.
With a critical eye, however, some similarities and recurring elements are shared between these two worlds that move beyond a wink and a nod Easter eggs. The evidence exists, and it points towards these worlds being the same continuity, centuries, and nuclear wars, apart in a single timeline.
Lorenzo’s Dwemer Crown
The Cabot family was a rich set of explorers and scientific experimenters before the bombs fell, and the father of the family had a mystical crown fuzed to his head shortly before the war. The crown granted him great powers and wisdom, but also drove him mad and granted those exposed to it immortality, leading to his family locking him away and staying alive for centuries to try and save Lorenzo from the crown’s influence.
The crown’s design and unknown properties are extremely similar to the ancient Dwemer race from Elder Scrolls, an advanced civilization whose machines and architecture are of a similar build as Lorenzo’s crown, which he supposedly uncovered during a major archeological discovery. With the Great War erasing most of the planet in nuclear fire, it’s unclear if that dig site’s discoveries still exist, but if they do, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more Dwemer artifacts fall into unsuspecting hands.
Experimental Nirnroot
In Fallout 4, the Brotherhood of Steel are experimenting with a strain of plant life as part of their efforts to create a new lasting food supply that give proper nourishment to people efficiently. The Experimental Plant was found in the wild and cross-bred with existing plant life, creating a bioluminescent plant that can be brewed into a healthy tea that early testing shows is extremely healthy for people and may hold mildly addictive properties.
The look and known effects of the plant are extremely similar to Nirnroot, a riverbed-based plant of similar description and abilities to this hybrid plant the Brotherhood created from an unusual plant sample. If anyone would uncover and improve upon this sought after root, it would be the adventurous and curious Brotherhood, hopefully they won’t be taking any arrows to the knee anytime soon.
Dovakhiin Helmet
In a magazine issue of Taboo Tattoos, one of the pre-war tattoos on offer was a skull wearing a very familiar-looking helmet. This horned helmet became an internet sensation and de-facto face of Skyrim due to its prevalence in marketing, including the initial in-game trailer that set the internet into a frenzy. It would stand to reason that similar, if not identical helmets, were known quantities in the world of Fallout prior to the bombs dropping.
Perhaps they exist in historical paintings and drawings, and some have been found and documented at archeological sites presented in museums, and recreated in film and documentaries. If the dragons were lost to time, that’s one thing, it’s another to ignore likely thousands of examples of this commonplace headwear appearing in the historical record during the age of steel swords and leather shields.