Historical Event

What triggered this event?

Identify the catalyst that set everything in motion.

What historical tensions or conflicts underlie the event?

Think rivalries, oppression, resource scarcity, ideological clashes, etc.? How did they build over time to create a critical point?

How did current conditions contribute to the event?

E.g., consider the political, social, environmental, or magical context. How did they make the event either inevitable or a surprise?

How did early opponents or allies respond to the event?

How did these responses shape the event’s trajectory?

How did ordinary people experience the onset of the event?

Think about commoners, workers, students, or residents in affected areas?

What competing narratives or false accounts about why it started might exist?

Retell the origin story of the event as a legend told centuries later.

Who were the key individuals or groups involved?

What were their motivations?

How did different factions experience the event differently?

E.g., consider perspectives of rebels, rulers, ordinary citizens, marginalized communities, etc.

How did power dynamics amongst the key players influence the event?

Write out a timeline showing the shifting alliances during the event.

How did foreign or external entities respond to the event?

How did their interventions, opinions, or absences alter the event’s course or aftermath?

How did key players influence public opinion or morale?

Think speeches, propaganda, symbolic actions, etc.?

What were the major phases or key turning points of the event?

Break the event into distinct moments that significantly shifted its direction or stakes.

How long did it take to unfold?

Think days, years, or even generations?

How did attitudes towards the event shift throughout?

Why? What was the impact?

What patterns or cycles can be observed in the progression of the event?

How did these patterns influence the strategies of key players?

What caused the greatest public reaction or societal impact?

Think demonstrations, uprisings, celebrations, public mourning, etc.?

What climactic events decided the outcome?

How did it shift the balance?

Were there critical moments where the event could have ended differently?

How would different choices have impacted the timeline? Rewrite one of these moments as an alternate history scenario.

Who were the victors?

How did they frame or control the narrative afterward?

Who were the losers?

Think about not just those who were defeated outright, but those who lost influence, resources, social standing, etc.?

How did the general populace experience the aftermath?

How did the aftermath shape public opinion or societal behavior?

What unexpected consequences occurred that neither side anticipated?

Look for ripple effects that weren't part of the original plan.

What were the immediate repercussions?

In terms of the economic, social, cultural, political, etc.?

How did the event shape the trajectory of the world in subsequent decades or centuries?

Draft a fictional encyclopedia entry summarizing the event’s long-term impact.

How is this event remembered in your world today?

How do different groups interpret or narrate the event differently?

How did the event's retelling change over time?

What triggered the change in interpretation?

What conspiracy theories or alternate accounts exist about the event?

Who perpetuates them, and why?

What symbols or icons emerged from this event?

Think flags, emblems, relics, songs, memorials, etc.?

How is it taught in schools or to younger generations?

How do lessons from the event vary by region, culture, or political leaning?

Was the event’s true impact greater or smaller than initially perceived?

Why?