No, she ain't real and she's never gonna' be, but just for the helluvit, let's us imagine Skyrim if Beth didn't have to worry about pushing more units than there are observable stars in the sky.
And this one won't take a decade, I swears it.
Anywho, my cents:
- Main plot marries the Dragon cult with existing lore in a very post-colonial, very Ben-Shapiro-suffering-a-hydrophobic-conniption kinda way. This of course means no Alduin-but-not-really chickenshit ersatz World-Eater. Instead, we fight Ysgramor. And Ysgramor is a dragon.
- Persistent and not necessarily pleasant racial bonuses and powers. Altmer see lesser races as rotting fleshbags. Dunmer are mathematically unlucky. Imperials explode into moths on death, etc., etc.
- No Dwemer ruins. We explore Falmer ruins instead. Think 1920s Mayan Revival meets Atomgrad brutalism. They are haunted by the familiar degenerated and blind Falmer, although Nord cultural categorization has long since assigned them as kin to Rieklings, referring to them as Skraelings. Uncovering this truth, and the source of their blindness, is a major plot point.
- No Orc strongholds. Alright, some Orc strongholds. But there's now 'Old-Believer' Nord villages, tucked away in the wilderness. They speak in Anglish, worship the Old Gods of Skyrim and are extremely disdainful of Cyrodilic influence. This includes Talos.
- The Old-Believer version of Dibella has a really Nord-y name. I haven't decided what that is yet, but it's really cool and really Nord-y.
- The Empire is Carolingian rather than Early Roman Principate. Titus Mede has only even been to the Imperial City once, for his coronation by Innocent Septim, Primate of Akatosh; He rules from Sancre Tor. Most of Nibenay, meanwhile, has balkanized into various merchant/moth republics that vacillate their loyalties between Mede and Innocent, who have since parted ways on the Talosian Schism.
- The Most Serene Republic of Leyawiin, however, is firm in their fealty to Alinor.
- Thalmor are only Elf Nazis in the Werner Von Braun sense - that is say - they're actively trying to leave Tamriel and Talos is preventing that.
- Attributes make a comeback. If your Endurance is below 75, High Hrothgar is basically inaccessible without magickal intervention.
- The Great War was way, way more messy. Both in terms of allegiances and violence. Southern Highrock is now a magickally irradiated wasteland.
- The College of Winterhold questline isn't totally anodyne and inconsequential. Thalmor are again heavily involved, though not necessarily as antagonists. Think Jason Bright.
- No Dark Brotherhood. Forsworn is the Assassin's Guild. Amongst other things, the questline finally reveals the names of their Old Gods.
-Thieves Guild is trying to steal Nocturnal herself.
- Actual Volkihar. The Companions questline involves trying to capture one alive(ish) for a wealthy merchant, who turns out to be someone very fanservice-y.
- Speech craft is useful and gamified to the same extent as combat. Theft and burglary too. I'm toying with certain specialized skills being equip-able to specific hands, like spells.
- GIANTS ARE A JOINABLE FACTION.
- The civil war questline is more intrigue and politicking, rather than really shitty battles. There's also faction reputation and disguises, a la New Vegas.
- NPCs don't splurt canned lines at you (DO YOU GO THE CLOUD DISTRICT VERY OFTEN?!) when they get within a spitting distance, but just greet you, with, yknow, regular greetings, a la Oblivion. Yes, I know this is the opposite of weird.
- The wilderness if foreboding, dark, and strange, and definitely not stocked with Wolves and Bears with no survival instinct. Instead there will be Elk without knees, weird one-eyed Millers, and many more eldritch surprises.
- Shouts are very, very different.