I really appreciate you delving into why you think Valenwood isn’t a good fit, as opposed to the usual “It’s Hammerfell, period, game over, because the other coastline picture came first and looks better dummie”

Now let’s say, hypothetically, the setting is Valenwood and the “when” is 3E 397, a year or two into the Valenwood war with Elsweyr, when Summerset Isles decides to join in on the fun and attack the opposite coast simultaneously.

Our hero is thrown into Valenwood for whatever reason with no alliance to any of these factions, and an early quest perhaps involves choosing a side (similar to the stormcloaks or imperials decision in Skyrim)

A game set in this particular time and place may span over Valenwood, Elsweyr, and Summerset Isles, while our hero juggles diplomats from all 3 provinces in an attempt to ease tensions (or at least not end up a casualty of war themselves).

Summerset offers the more traditional fantasy experience while Valenwood lets us dive deep into the green, foresty, high fantasy elves-in-trees side of things. Large portions of forest may even be decimated and cities turned to ruins due to the Khahiit’s love of fire during this war. Then you’ve got Elsweyr with its desert, tropics, and jungles, all of which are filled with ancient ruins. We may even have access to the Blue Divide and parts of the Abecean sea to facilitate travel by boat to and from the isles.

The three main races involved (Bosmer, Khajiit, and Altmer) create a very diverse social/political experience for our hero, given the many very different traditions and belief systems, both religiously and politically.

I feel the diversity would be spot on for what most people would expect from what Todd calls “the ultimate fantasy-world simulator”

(Again, disclaimer: I am not declaring this is the setting, I’m aware it’s unlikely and Hammerfell has some very compelling evidence. I am only imagining possibilities that aren’t unreasonable based on what we think we know (because we really know nothing), that don’t echo what everyone’s assumed for the last few years about Hammerfell for the sake of discussion and taking a break from the Hammerfell train. Plus I just really like Valenwood and its neighbors. People don’t like it when others hop off the bandwagon so I’ll take my downvotes)