Patrica C. Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions

General History

• How far back are there records or tales of historical events? How widely known are these stories?
• Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (as people dismissed Troy at one time)?
• How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, were they created by the gods, or did they migrate from somewhere/when else? If there are non-humans, how long have they been around and where did they come from?
• For an alternate Earth, how similar are history and cultures to real history and cultures? Why are things similar/different?
• Where did civilization begin? What directions did it spread? How was development affected by the presence of working magic? The presence of non-human races (if any)? The actions of gods?
• Which peoples/countries/races have, over the centuries, fought, been allies, traded, or traditionally been rivals? Where are such old events still important--still causing hard feelings?
• Which peoples/countries/races have been in conflict, allied, etc. in the *recent* past? Why? When and why were the most recent wars? Who won?
• Which peoples/etc. are considered the most civilized? Which are most technologically advanced? Most magically advanced? Least advanced?
• Is there a single, generally accepted calendar (including time measurements like hours and minutes) or do different countries, peoples, races, etc. have different ones?
• How many languages are there? Which ones are related (as the Romance languages are) and why? Which languages borrow words or phrases from other languages? Which is likely to be most widely spoken? Why?
• Is there a "trade language" that facilitates commerce between countries that don't speak the same tongue? Is there a "universal language" spoken by educated or noble persons (or magicians), as Latin was in the Middle Ages?

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