Before Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind there was Daggerfall, the second entry in what has become a household name for fantasy RPGs. The original is available on Steam and GOG, though 23 years later we have a modern remake in the form of Daggerfall Unity which brings in modern graphics, controls, QoL improvements and mod support (as well as Linux and Mac support).
I really want to love it, but gameplay-wise it’s got little in common with later TES games, and there’s still plenty of things functionally broken about it. Probably my favourite gaming / let’s play youtuber is Many A True Nerd, and even he gave up after three episodes. I think it’s worth checking out that series for a decent overview.