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| = Kuroras Ethnographical Questionnaire =
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| '''[[Dr. Zahir’s Ethnographical Questionnaire]]''' was compiled by David Zahir to help in the description of [[conculture]]s, and can be found in the files section of the [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/conculture/ Conculture group at Yahoo].
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| __TOC__
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| == Questions of Place ==
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| === Describe the geography of where your society calls home. ===
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| === Describe the climate your society deals with. How severe are their seasons? ===
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| === What kinds of natural disasters has this society gotten used to? ===
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| === What are the most commonly-grown foods? ===
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| === What are the most commonly-eaten meats? ===
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| === What foods are considered exotic or expensive? ===
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| === What forms of alcohol are common? Rare? ===
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| === Is there usually enough food and water for the population? ===
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| === What is this place's most abundant resource? ===
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| === What is its most valuable resource? ===
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| === What resource is it most lacking? ===
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| === How do people travel from one place to another? ===
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| === Are the borders secure? In what way? ===
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| === How many people live here? ===
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| === Where in this place to they congregate? ===
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| === What part of this place do they avoid? Why? ===
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|
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| === What are the most common domesticated animals here? And what are they domesticated for? ===
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| === What are the most common wild animals? ===
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| === Which animals are likely to be pets? Which ones won't be? ===
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| == Questions of Time ==
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| === How far back does this society's written history go? ===
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| === How far back do its people believe it goes? ===
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| === What is the worst disaster they believe they've faced? ===
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| === What was the best thing that every happened to them? ===
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| === What in their past makes them feel ashamed? ===
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| === What in their past makes them proud? ===
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| === What are they afraid of happening again? ===
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| === What are they hoping will happen? Do they think it likely? ===
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| === What do they assume the future will hold? ===
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| === How has this society changed? Do its current members realize this? ===
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| === What are the most popular stories about the past? ===
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| === Who in the past is the greatest hero? The worst villain? ===
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| === Do people think the present better or worse than the past? ===
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| === Do people believe the future will be better or worse than the present or past? ===
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| == Questions of Sex and Family ==
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| === How many spouses may a man or woman have? ===
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| === Who decides on a marriage? ===
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| === Can a marriage end in divorce? How? ===
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| === Who usually takes custody of children if a marriage ends for some reason? ===
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| === How is adultery defined? What (if any) is the punishment? Who decides? ===
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| === How are families named?(g) What happens to orphans? ===
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| === How are boy and girl children treated differently? ===
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| === Are premarital relations allowed? ===
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| === How does your society define incest? Rape? How do people react to these? ===
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| === What, if anything, is considered a good marriage gift? ===
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| === What secret vice is believed to be widely practiced? ===
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| === What secret vice actually is practiced? ===
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| === What sexual habits are widely believed common among foriegners? ===
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| === How do people react to homosexuality? ===
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| === How do the genders dress? ===
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| === Is prostitution legal? How are prostitutes viewed? Is this accurate? ===
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| === What professions or activities are considered masculine? ===
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| === What professions or activities are viewed as feminine? ===
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| === What inanimate or sexless things are considered male or female? ===
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| === What is the biggest sexual taboo? ===
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| === Does this society connect the ideas of marriage with love? ===
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| === What does this society mean by the word "virgin" and how important it it? ===
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| == Questions of Manners ==
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| === Who speaks first at a formal gathering? ===
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| === What kinds of gifts are considered in extremely bad taste? ===
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| === How do younger adults address their elders? ===
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| === What colors are associated with power? With virtue? With death? ===
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| === If two men get into a fight, how is this supposed to be resolved? ===
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| === If two women get into a fight, how should that be resolved? ===
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| === When is it rude to laugh at something funny? ===
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| === What kinds of questions cannot be asked in public? In private? At all? ===
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| === How do people demonstrate grief? ===
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| === What does this society do with their corpses? ===
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| === What kinds of jewelry do people where? And when? ===
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| === Who inheirits property? Titles? Position? ===
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| === What happens to those suffering from extreme mental illness? ===
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| === What are the most popular games? How important are they? ===
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| === What parts of the body are routinely covered? ===
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| === How private are bodily functions like bathing or defecating? ===
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| === How do people react to physical deformity? ===
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| === When and how does someone go from child to adult? ===
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| == Questions of Faith ==
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| === Is there a formal clergy? How are they organized? ===
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| === What do people believe happens to them after death? How, if at all, can they influence this? ===
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| === What happens to those who disagree with the majority on questions of religion? ===
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| === Are there any particular places considered special or holy? What are they like? ===
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| === What are the most popular rituals or festivals? ===
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| === What do people want from the god or gods? How do they try and get it? ===
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| === How do their religious practices differ from their neighbours? ===
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| === What is the most commonly broken religious rule?(i) What is the least-violated religious rule? ===
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| === What factions exist within the dominant religious institutions? How do they compete? ===
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| === Are there monastic groups? What do they do and how are they organized? How do you join one? ===
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| === How are those who follow different faiths treated? ===
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| === What relationship do religious and political leaders have? ===
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| === What superstitions are common? What kinds of supernatural ===
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| events/beings do people fear?
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| == Questions of Government ==
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| === Who decides whether someone has broken a law? How? ===
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| === What kinds of punishments are meted out? By whom? Why? ===
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| === How are new laws created or old ones changed? ===
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| === Is there some form of clemency or pardon? What is involved? ===
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| === Who has the right to give orders, and why? ===
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| === What titles do various officials have? ===
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| === How are the rules different for officials as opposed to the common person? ===
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| === How do government officials dress? ===
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| === Is the law written down? Who interprets it? ===
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| === Once accused, what recourse does someone have? ===
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| === Is torture allowed? What kinds? ===
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| === How are people executed? ===
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| === Who cannot rise to positions of leadership? ===
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| === Is bribery allowed? Under what circumstances? ===
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| === What makes someone a bad ruler in this society? What can be done about it? ===
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| === What are the most common or dangerous forms of criminal? ===
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| == Questions of War ==
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| === Who declares war? ===
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| === Who has the power to declare conditions of peace? ===
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| === What happens to prisoners taken in battle? ===
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| === What form of warfare does this society use? ===
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| === Who are the Elite warriors? What distinguishes them? ===
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| === How does someone get command of troops? ===
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| === Where do the loyalties of military units lie? ===
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| === Are there professional soldiers? Do they make up the bulk of the military? ===
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| === Has this society ever attacked another? Do they want to? What would make them do so? ===
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| === Who are their enemies? Who's winning? ===
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| === What do soldiers do when there's no war? ===
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| == Questions of Education ==
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| === Does this society have its own language? Its own writing? ===
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| === How common is literacy? How is literacy viewed? ===
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| === What form and value are books? ===
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| === Who teaches others? How do they teach? ===
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| === Who decides who learns to read or write?(f) Who teaches professions, like carpenter or scribe? ===
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| === Are foreigners ever brought in to teach new skills? Who does that? ===
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| === How do this society's doctors try to treat wounds and sickness? ===
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| === Which medical assumtions of this society are wrong? ===
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| == Questions of Art ==
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| === What are the favorite artforms? ===
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| === What are the least-favorite? ===
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| === How respected are artists? ===
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| === Do artists require official or unofficial protection? ===
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| === What kinds of trouble are artists in particular likely to find themselves in? ===
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| === How might a very successful artist live? ===
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| === What forms of theatre does your society have? ===
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| === How naturalistic or stylized is your society's art? ===
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| === What shapes are most common in your society's arts, like embroidery or architecture? ===
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| === Which artforms get the most and least respect? ===
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| === What form does censorship take? ===
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| === Who may not be an artist? ===
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| === What qualities equal "beauty" in this society? ===
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| === What makes a man or woman especially beautiful? ===
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| === How do people react to tattoos? Piercings? Facial hair? Make-up? ===
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| == Questions of sex and marriage ==
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| === Is sex confined to marriage? ===
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| === Or, is it supposed to be? What constitutes aberrant behavior? ===
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| === Is there anything about this culture or religion in that culture that specifically addresses sexual conduct? ===
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| === Are there laws about it? What about prostitution? ===
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| === How old should someone be in your culture to be having sex? ===
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| === What is considered too great a difference in age for a couple? ===
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| === Do relationships allow multiple partners? ===
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| === Should sex be a one-to-one experience? Or are groups allowed? ===
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| === And, of course, what about homosexuality? Is it frowned on? Encouraged? ===
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| == Questions of death and burial ==
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| === What is their understanding of death and dying? ===
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| === Do they cremate their dead? Or, how are dead bodies disposed of? ===
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| === Is the family responsible for the body? ===
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| === What part do the priests play? ===
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| === Are there cemeteries at all? ===
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| === Or, does everyone have a crypt in back with all the relatives in it? ===
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| === Do people visit the dead? If so, how often and why? ===
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| == Questions of suicide ==
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| === What do people in this culture think about suicide? ===
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| === Is it the greatest sin one can commit? Or is it a sin at all? ===
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| === Is it the great and last comfort of a tormented soul? ===
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| === Is it worse than murder? ===
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| == Questions of Law, Justice and Police ==
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| === Is there a civilian police force, or is law enforcement the province of the military? ===
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| === Is the police force a nationalised one, or are there multiple regional forces? ===
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| === How "military" are they? Are they usually/ever armed? ===
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| === What is the extent of their authority? Can they shoot you? Can they use magic? Can they torture or otherwise force a confession? Can they use telepathy? ===
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| === Are there individuals or groups who are above the law? ===
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| === Is there a secret police? ===
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| === What is the role of police informants, if any? ===
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