In what structures does everyone live? What are the houses like? Multiple rooms? Single rooms? What do people wear? How is this impacted by their climate? Do different genders wear different clothes? How much does social stratification impact this? How do people get around? Do they walk everywhere? Is there public transportation? What do people believe spiritually? How prevelant are these beliefs? Are they true? What is the climate like? Tempurature? Humidity? Altitude? Any bodies of water nearby? How do people get fat to cook with? From plants? From milk? Rendering from meat? Somewhere else? How many people live in the largest settlements? How many people live in the smallest settlements? How many settlements are there? How do people feel about other ethnic groups/nations? Are they at the brink of war? Is there peace? Harmony? What do people use for medicine? Herbs? Animal products? Manufactured medicine? Is there an industry around it? What is the local flora and fauna like? How does the culture interact with it? Do the people have any domesticated animals? Do they use these animals for resources? Do they use them as pets? Do they use them as hunting companions? Are there any sacred places? How many people can you expect to find in each of these places at any given time? How well known are these places? Are they sacred to other ethnic groups too? Do the people have something comparable to weeks? How many days in a week? What seasons do the culture recognize, and why? How does their behavior change during different parts of the year? How do they get salt? Do they trade for it, make it themselves, mine it, burn plants, etc? What do they use to build structures? Think about the climate and geography; what do they have available and what makes for the most comfortable life? How do masters in their craft become masters? What superstitions and/or modes of divination are present for these people? What trade/art style/medium are the people most known for? Who makes these pieces of art? Are they useful for anything or entirely decorational? How do people regulate their tempurature? When it's too hot, how do they cool off? When it's too cold, how do they stay warm? How many languages are members of this culture expected to speak? Which languages are common and why? How are people honored (or disrespected) when they pass away? What happens to their bodies? How are names chosen? Who chooses them? Do they have meaning? Are some names forbidden? Are some names restricted? Do names ever change? How does information travel? Is there a messenger occupation? What technology is used to transport information? Do messengers transport objects as well? What spices, seasonings, and aromatics are common for cooking? Do they use something similar to garlic and onions? Is anything spicy? Are they all plant based? Are there some animal based ones? How are these seasonings made/grown? What do members of this culture do to increase their luck? Does it actually work? What pigments does this culture have access to, and what do they use them for? What is a new aspect of the culture that just developed? What types of percussion instruments do the people have? What do their drums look like? How are they used? Do people ever go on vacation? If so, to where? Why? How does the speech of children differ form the speech of adults? How must children speak to adults, versus to each other? Does it depend on the adult? Any important written or oral literature? Is the author known? What is this liturature about? Is there any ancestral knowledge in the liturature? Who is allowed to raise children? Is it restricted to their parents, or does the whole community take on the responsibility? What does this look like? What do the children call different people who are raising them? Do people live in the same settlement their entire lives? If not, where do they move? What unique role does fire play for these people? Come up with something fun! Are there any wind instruments? What are they made out of? Are there any interesting stories about their origin? How are the elderly treated in this culture? What about the elderly who have no children or grandchildren? Are there any doors or windows in the buildings? What are they made out of? Are they airtight? Do they let a breeze through at all hours of the day? Can you see through them? How light or dark is it inside? Do people ever marry into other ethnic groups? Is this taboo? What big choices do members of this culture have to make at an early age? How are disabled people treated and cared for? What role to blind and deaf people play? How are those with high support needs supported? How are those with chronic pain accommodated? Are there any communal buildings, where people from many families gather for various events? What are markets like? What can you count on being sold? How do people determine the cost of items, and how do they pay for them? Do members of this culture eat animals? If so, where do they get them from? Do they eat fish? Do they eat reptiles or amphibians? Do they eat birds? Do they eat bugs? Do they eat mammals? If not, then why not? What words are taboo and why? What are the staple foods of this culture? How are they processed? What common meals are created with them? What is the social stratification based on? How seriously do members of the culture take this social stratification? When does adulthood begin in this culture? What does that look like? What boundaries does the culture set around adulthood and childhood? What constellations can everyone identify in the sky? What are some constellations that only a select few can identify? What sweet foods do members of this culture eat? What are they made out of? How are these ingredients located or created? How are children disciplined? How can this differ from family to family, context to context? What tabletop games do people play in leisure time? Do they have any narrative significance (in essence, do they show up in folklore)? Were they invented? How elite do players get? How is music written, if at all? Is there any form of tablature for any instrument? Does the musical notation primarily emphasize melody, harmony, rhythm, or something else? Why? What types of food are considered gross, taboo, or even forbidden? Why? How seriously do people take customs around these foods? What do members of this culture look like? How do they differ from other ethnic groups in appearance? What are the normal ranges of skin tones, eye colors, and hair colors for this ethnic group? How are these physical traits influenced by the geography and history of the ethnic group? How do people express love for each other and become united? Are there marriage ceremonies? How do they work? Are they arranged, or do the married parties decide? What are some common misconceptions specific other ethnic groups have about this ethnic group? Where does the misconception come from, and is there any truth to it? How do the people believe the earth was created? What about all the other things around them? What kinds of creation stories do they tell? How do people light the night's darkness? If they use fire, what do they set ablaze? Is it contained? How bright does it burn? Are there other worse options? What physical games do children play? Do these games represent anything? How do they learn the games? How have they changed over time? What recreational drugs exist in this culture? How addictive are they? Are any of them spiritually significant? What are public attitudes towards them? How are they made? Do people drink alcohol? If so, what is the alcohol made out of? If not, why? What is considered beautiful? Is there an aesthetic beauty standard? Whatpractical skills are more attractive generally? What great historical figures and/or mythical people exist in storytelling? Did they actually exist? What lessons can be learned from their story, if anything? How do members of this culture wear their hair? Do any of them cover it? If so, why? Is there any significance, or is it just practical? Are there any customs when two people meet on a road? What are they? If there are none, what is common behavior instead? How do people preserve their food? Do they use salt? Do they use acid? Do they use fermentation? Do they use fat? Do they use spices? Do they keep the food cold, or freeze it? If so, by what means? How do all these things impact the way the food is cooked? When do people celebrate their birthday, if at all? How do people celebrate their birthday? Who are the wisdom holders of the community? What role do they play? How are others expected to interact with them? How old are they? What expertise do they have? Are they corrupt? How might this manifest in the lives of people who interact with them? Are there any spiritual practices that are considered taboo? What are they, and why are they taboo? Are there consequences for engaging in them? How severe are these consequences? Do they extend beyond social stigma? What is considered heroic? How are heroes in stories characterized? Are people supposed to aspire to act heroic? Are living people described as heroic? What does this mean? What is it, according to this culture, that makes a human a human? Is there a consensus? Who disagrees? (Adapt this to non-human cultures as you see fit.) How was the world created, according to this culture? Did someone make it? If so, how? Has it always been here? Do people even care? What prejudice do members of your culture hold within their own communities? What about prejudice towards other cultures? How do these manifest? Does this ever lead to violence? Is anyone fighting the violence? How successful are they? What are fabrics made out of? What are they used for? How are they cleaned? Who makes them? How labor intensive is the weaving? Do people use fabric as a medium for art? How do people keep clean? How clean does one need to be, and why? Do they use soap? If so, what is the soap made out of? What does it smell like? What texture is it? What does the act of bathing or cleaning one's body symbolize, if anything? Do these people have anything in which they can see their own reflections besides the eyes of their companions? What are these made out of? Who owns them, and what are they used for? How common are they? How do people conceptualize anger? What are some common idioms or symbols around anger? How do people express anger? Is anyone more expected to express anger? Is anyone expected to not express anger? What tools can be found in any household? What are they used for? How frequently are they used? How do high quality versions of these tools differ from low quality versions? What are some fun tongue twisters either in the culture's language or based in another aspect of the culture? What do people think happens to the minds of the dead? Where do they go? What responsibilities do others have to facilitate this? Is there a psychopomp? Are members of this culture correct? How do people dismiss questions they don't want to answer politely? Is there a phrase? How direct is this dismissal? Do people ever conceal their identity? How does this anonymity manifest? Is it taken seriously, or done as a joke? Is it considered a crime? How common is it? What is it for? What is this culture's most famous food or beverage? Does it differ depending on which other culture you ask? What would members of this culture say? How is it made? Are there any customs around eating or drinking it? What are common misconceptions about this culture? Who is mistaken, and who knows the truth? Are these misconceptions harmful in any way? If so, how? How are settlements physically organized? Do they use a grid system? Do roads change? How old are they? What are they named after, if anything? How may people from other settlements navigate? For particularly large settlements, how do locals navigate in unfamiliar parts of settlements? What numbers come up time and time again in folklore and conversation? In lists, how many examples do people need to give before it feels right? (For example, many algonquin peoples will list four examples where anglophones usually list three.) What significance might these numbers have, if any? What great wars have left (or are leaving) their mark on this culture? What drives people to remember? Are there still people alive who were there? Was this culture on the right side? According to whom? What is the penalty for murder? Why? How often does murder happen? How stigmatized is it? Where are few people willing to go? Why? Who is willing to go, and why? Are there any stories about these places? Are they true? (Feel free to discuss multiple places, perhaps one for each major settlement, as desired.) What toys are children known to play with? Who makes their toys? Do they make their own toys? What common plants are used for decoration? How annoying are they to care for? Are there any stories or connotations related to any of them? How many large color categories does this culture have? What aspects of color do members of this culture focus on? Hue? Saturation? Something else? How loud are people? How much do people talk? How do people feel about small talk? What household objects signify luxury and wealth? Why? How are the wealthy expected to act with their wealth? Do they hoard it? Do they give it all away? What respect are they afforded? How do people illuminate their living spaces at night? If they use fire, how is the fire contained? What is the fuel made out of? What are some events that occur cyclically? Who leads them? Are they celebratory? Are they solemn? Is the location significant? What is a delicacy saved for special occasions? What makes it a delicacy? How is it obtained? What does it taste like? What conceptual metaphors are so rooted into the culture that people don't even know they're metaphorical? What is life expectancy? Does it depend on occupation? What factors play into this life expectancy? How does humor function? What is and isn't funny? How do people use wordplay, if at all? What are some common jokes? What makes people laugh? Is there a concept of theft? Is it stigmatized? Who steals? Why do people steal? What do people steal? If theft is considered bad, what is the penalty? How easy is it to get away with it? How big do families get? How often do people see family members? Which family members do people see the most often? How do people express gratitude? What are some common phrases, be them in a conlang or in English? If it's not immediately obvious, what do they mean? What recent trend has spread across the ethnic group like wildfire? Why is it so popular? Will it remain popular for long? When procuring meat, how is every part of the animal used? Are some parts thrown away? Are these customs driven by spiritual beliefs? What do maps look like? How do maps from this culture differ from maps used by other cultures? How may their maps be specialized? Where can one find ruins from a bygone nation? How much do we know about the history of these ruins? Are they excavation sites? Are they used by anyone? Is there any spiritual significance to the ruins? Are there any spiritual rituals? How often are they performed? Who performs them? Do people believe in the spiritual aspect, or do they only participate in ritual to engage with their culture? Do these rituals change through the generations at all? When members of this culture mensturate, how are they treated by others? How are they cared for, if at all? Where do people give birth? Who aids in the birthing process? How are difficult births (breech, long labor times) handled? What are pregnant folk supposed to eat, and what are they not allowed to eat? Why? How much of this is superstition, and how much is reality? How are new places named? How old are the names of places that are already named? How many remember the true origins of these names? As for those who don't, are there any interesting folk etymologies? What are the biggest unanswered questions gnawing on the public consciousness? How hopeful are people that they will find answers eventually? What types of food do people snack on? Are there any specific recipes for snacking foods? How close are the people to the sea? How does this impact the culture? Does it depend on the settlement? If so, how does proximity to the sea impact the local culture differently? What is the most important settlement? Second most important? Third most important? Why are these settlements so important? How common is social isolation? What age group is it most frequent in? Are socially isolated folk stigmatized? Is social isolation a problem? Who is allowed to touch who, and when and where? If there are restrictions, what are the common justifications? What do people attribute magic to, if it exists in your world? Are they right? What food is cooked for the sick? Why? What sets it apart from normal food, if anything? What are the colors of the eyes, hair, and skin of this ethnic group? How variable are these? Have social customs impacted these traits? What about environmental features? What scary stories are told to keep children in line? What do people think disease is caused by? Are they right? If not, does this misconception lead to medical malpractice that harms members of the culture? How does one acquire another's attention? Are there gestures, noises, both? Is there a specific grammatical vocative? Does anyone use physical contact to get attention? What monsters lurk in the depths? How do stories about them differ? Are they real, or just myths? Something in-between? Is there significant color symbolism anywhere in this culture? What is associated with darkness and light? What do people do with baby teeth? What significance may this practice have? Do baby teeth ever symbolize anything? What big meals are saved for celebrations? How many people do they feed? What makes these dishes unique? What utensils do people eat with, if at all? If they don't use utensils, do they use their hands? Have they always eaten like this? How do they differ from the utensils of neighboring cultures? How do the utensils match the way the food is served? What are the most important landmarks? Were they built, or are they natural features of the terrain? If they were built, who built them, and how long ago? Why were they built? Do they serve functions, or were they just decorative? Have they ever been rebuilt, or otherwise changed over time? What's considered romantic? How do people show affection? How may have this changed recently? What's trendy? How often does it rain? What does this culture attribute rain to? If it rains rarely, how do people praise the rain? If it rains often and hard, how do people characterize the distruction it causes? Are there any sports? How do they work? What happens to the winners? What happens to the losers? Where do athletes practice? Where do they compete? Are there any major rivers nearby? Are they used to transport anything? Are there any water wheels along them? What waste do people generate? How do they get rid of it? How much of it is biodegradable? Is it an issue? Do people modify their bodies? Are there common places for piercings? Do people get tattoos? Do the tattoos have any cultural significance? What can people only get through trade? Why do they trade for it, and why can't they make it themselves? Where is it made? What common diseases exist among the people of this culture? What are the symptoms? What are the cures and treatments? Are there any steps one can take to prevent them? How does one get the diseases? Who is most exposed? What occupations are unique to this culture? What stories give people hope? What inspires people to keep going when life gets hard? What do they store substances in, such as food? Are pastes, powderes, and liquids stored differently? How are these containers decorated? What are they made out of? Clay? Glass? Metal? Plastic? What are they shaped like? Who makes them? What is alive? What is dead? What is in between? How do members of this culture conceptualize these things? What objects do members of this culture adorn altars with for ritual? What do they represent? Do they hold any real power, or are they only symbolic? What aspect of this culture has been lost? Does anyone care? Should more people care? What parts of the body must always remain covered? Does this differ between members of different social classes, occupations, genders, age groups, etc.? What do people do to catch up when they haven't seen each other in a while? Where do they go? How do people learn languages from other cultures? What languages are the most common to learn? Is there a millitary? Who, if anyone, is drafted? What tactics are used in battle? What more specific ranks can specific members of the millitary have? How do members of this culture keep track of time? How do they know what time of day it is? What about during the night? Does it matter? Do they use specific tools they've made, or do they use patterns in nature? How much do members of this culture value mental health? What strategies do they have to deal with it? Are any mental health struggles stigmatized? Are any mental health struggles named? What secrets are those in power keeping from the rest? Why are they keeping the secret? What would happen if the secret got out? Would anyone believe the whistle-blower? What are the physical boundaries that prevent travel? Mountains? Oceans? Deserts? What stories are told about what is beyond these boundaries? How much truth is there to these stories? What do people write with? What do they write on? How does this affect the writing system? Who lives alone? Why? Do they want to live alone? Where do they live? How old are they? What songs are present in every household? What songs are uncommon or more specialized? What words do members of this culture use to denote other nearby ethnic groups? Are these endonyms or exonyms? Are any of these terms offensive? How common is injury? What do people do when they are injured? What are the floors of dwellings made of, if not the bare ground? Do folks use carpets? Are the floors made of wood or tile? Is there an art to it? Is there a martial arts belonging to this culutre? What are the values of the martial arts? What may it emphasize during a fight? What makes it special? Where are the oldest trees? How have they survived so long? How old are they? What do they look like? Does this culture have any connection to these trees? What do people do to make sure their wishes come true? How well does it work?