Fantasy World Building Questionnaire Part 3?

Gemi

New member
Back by popular demand..dun dun dun...PART 3 of world building questions. Enjoy! :)

1) How much is known by the people/creatures about the laws of nature/physics/magic? How much of what is commonly known true? How much are "old wives tales?"
2) Is magic segregated by gender? Do men and women only have the ability to practice certain types of magic or does law oppress them?
3) Can the ability of magic be lost? If so, how? (overdoing it/burning out..brain damage..etc)
4) Can the ability of magic be taken away? If so, how and by whom? (spells practiced by virgins-taken away by..erm..fornication bahaha)
5) How do citizens make their living? (farming, trade, manufacturing). Do non-humans have a tendency to take up trades humans don't? Are they limited to certain trades by legislation/oppression?
6) Is trade production reliant/dependent upon magic? (EX: farm production relies on magic so if magic fails, crops fail). If so, what is done as a contingency plan to prevent negative outcomes (starvation)?
7) Do people/creatures immigrate into or out of various countries? Why? To and from what areas?
8) What types of geographical areas are most heavily populated? (forests/plains/sea-side), which are least populated? Why? Are certain locations more popular to certain races of beings? Why?
9) If Gods are prevalent in the land, what are the types of offerings made that are considered good (giving food), bad (sacrifice), and best/worst? Are people/races supposed to pick one or more Gods to worship? Is this based on religion? Geography? History? If they're given a choice, how do they decide?
10) Who are considered citizens with civil rights? Does this depend on geographical location?
11) What will people swear a binding oath by (ex: swear by the gods or on the grave of a loved one)? What do people use as curse words?
12) How many languages are there? Which are related/affliated and why? Which is the most widely spoken? Did some historical event bring about the mass use of this language? What was it?
13) Are there words that must never be spoken except at particular times/ceremonies/circumstances? Are there words that are not spoken in polite company? Do these words differ from culture to culture? race to race?
14) What are the most valuable commodities in society? Do different races value different things? Are these things related to their religion (ex: India worships the cow, the cow is a sacred symbol/being)
15) What actions would be considered shocking? Is there a taboo attached? How do people generally react?
16) What is the society's social etiquette rules? Must you accept all gifts? Is it rude to turn them down? Must you bring gifts if you visit important people? etc.
17) What are the eating habits of different cultures/races? (ex: eating with hands, burping to compliment the chief). How are these handled by outsiders who aren't accustomed to such things?
18) What are the general gestures for greeting someone (wave, shake hands, bow), saying goodbye, agreeing, disagreeing? Do men shake hands with their weapon hand as a way to show trust (they're unarmed).Do greetings differ from social class to social class? Race to race? Are all men in the family introduced first? Adults first?
19) What gestures are considered insulting? What do they mean? Do the means differ from culture to culture?
20) What are ways of showing respect? (bowing, saluting, declining head/dropping gaze)
21) Do families eat meals together or separately? What dishes are considered holiday food? What distinguishes a formal meal from an informal meal? What eating utensils are used? What are appropriate "dinner table" topics to discuss? How do these customs differ from race to race/location/class?
22) Is there an effective sanitary system implemented? Is there waste in the drinking water/streets? Are plagues common? Are foods stored improperly and bring rats/roaches? etc
23) Does the weather/climate contribute to habits/customs/practices? how? (ex: mid-afternoon siesta in hot countries)
24) Do wild/rebellious people dress/behave/speak differently to general public?
25) Does magic affect war strategy? how? (formations/techniques to handle certain magic). How does magic affect battle? (weather magic inhibits enemy army movements)
26) Are there formal foreign relations w/ other countries/races? How are treaties arranged? How do these treaties affect commerce/laws/employment? Who are traditional allies/rivals? Why?
27) What things are considered serious crimes? What are the ramifications? (prisons/branding/impaling)
28) What color is the sun? moon? How does this affect the world's colors?
29) What are the types of illnesses/plagues? (growths/warts/etc)

Part 1 found here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Av7eLmzqLooehgQUOMF.FFjty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20110214110719AAIabZO

Part 2 found here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Avv0eD2lbu1ZJSoBGOO_R7nty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=
Sorry, yeah I don't know why it didn't work. Here it is again. Let's see if this one works :/

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjuA__LuxUyt26Esipjfhafty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20110216044049AAnGYrT
 
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