To be honest, if you want story, you should play Morrowind or Oblivion. I admit that my first Elder Scrolls game was Oblivion, and it is one of my favorites of all time because of story and gameplay. Like, I just started playing it again this week with a magic character, which I had never done before, and it has opened up a whole new world to me. Morrowind still has the better story, but it took a lot for me to understand it when I started playing last week after trying a couple years ago and not getting it (everything is chance based on your skill and attributes, which is different from the hack and slash I am used to in later games). If you want to get into Skyrim, you are doing so for the gameplay, world, and aesthetics. I personally am not a fan of the darker, more naturalistic art direction and prefer the fantasy feel of Oblivion much better.

TLDR: Skyrim is the best for modern hack and slash, but has poor story (and every quest line in my opinion) in comparison to the last two major entries in the series. I also preferred Morrowind’s skill prerequisites for ranking up in factions as well as the huge number of factions available.