If TES VI really is Hammerfell, the lore has already done most of the heavy lifting. The province carries more concrete detail in existing books and in-game texts than most people remember.
I went back through the primary sources again last week. Here is how the evidence actually stacks up.
1. The Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition (Hammerfell section)
Still the single clearest overview we have. It lays out the division between Crowns and Forebears, the Yokudan exodus after the sinking of the continent, and the role of the Ansei sword-singers. The text is short but specific. It also notes the presence of Orc strongholds in the mountains and the uneasy relationship with the Empire after the Treaty of Stros M'Kai. Cross-reference with the TES VI pillar for any new official statements.
2. The Redguard game and its manual
Cyrus's story gives us the most direct look at everyday life in the province during the early Fourth Era. The manual adds details on the political factions and the role of the Empire's legions that never made it into later games. The timing is awkward (the game is set in 2E 864), yet the cultural notes on honor, piracy, and the desert itself still read as current.
3. Later references in the Third and Fourth Era books
- "Words of the Poets" mentions the continued importance of the old Yokudan gods.
- "The Infernal City" and "Lord of Souls" give a brief but useful update on how Hammerfell handled the Aldmeri Dominion threat.
- Scattered journal entries in Skyrim (the Redguard bartender in Whiterun, the mercenaries near Markarth) show ongoing tensions with both the Empire and the Dominion.
These are smaller, but they confirm the province never fully reconciled with either power.
The gaps are obvious. We still lack a modern, detailed account of the Alik'r, the current state of the Ansei, or how the province actually governs itself after the Great War. That is where a new game could do real work without contradicting anything already written.
The wait has been long enough that some of these older books now feel like they were written for the next title. They probably were not, but the foundation is there.
So which source do you weight most when you picture a Hammerfell game, the Pocket Guide or the Redguard material? And does anyone still expect the Ansei to be playable, or has that ship sailed?