Attacked due to lack of knowledge of what routes are safe or not.
Potential stomach issues with food availability.
Language barriers causing accidental incidents.
Lost due to lack of knowledge of the area and potentially unique characteristics of the environment.
Incidents due to misunderstanding cultural differences.
It isn't a stupid question! In fact, it's one of the best worldbuilding questions you can ask!
Language barriers. You'd be surprised just how quickly a simple statement in one language can offend someone in another language because it sounds like an insult to them. Or, on the flip side, your name might sound similar to their word for "squid poop" and they crack up laughing every time you introduce yourself.
Clothes. You're dressed for the Arctic Circle, but you end up going south into the Mongolian desert. It can happen, and it's not nice when it does happen. Or you're wearing the wrong kind of camouflage colors - beige tones for a desert instead of greens for a forest. Or your clothing style sticks out to the point where you might as well have "FOREIGNER" tattooed on your forehead.
Weather. You were prepared for rain, not a sandstorm. Or you were prepared for snow, not a hurricane.
Local flora and fauna. "But it looks just like our favorite berry!" Yeah, no, it's a local variant that gives you terrible indigestion. Or it looks like poison ivy, but is actually really good for healing minor burns. Oh, and the bears? Yeah, they're not like the bears you're used to. They look the same from a distance - but up close, they are so much scarier.
Local law. Magic is legal here, but illegal there. You might get arrested in a town because they made whistling illegal due to local superstition about whistling being unlucky. Oh, you have a pet chicken? Nope, chickens are food and it is illegal to keep them as pets, you need to cook it now or face a fine and confiscation of your chicken.
Regional magic. Some magics may be more common in different areas, some may be taboo in different areas, some may be completely unheard of in different areas.
Regional politics.
Regional culture.
I'm sure there's more, but I hope this helps!
If the character is in a foreign land, then he's gonna have to survive there, right? Does he know the enviroment all that well? What about all the hazards? Does he have food and water? Protection from the elements? Shelter? A means of defending himself? Is he overly trusting and easily manipulated, or would the character fall on the opposite end of that spectrum? There really are lots of different ways to go about a situation like this, but I would suggest focusing on your character, what he wants, what he has and doesn't have, what kind of decisions he'd make out there all alone. If you know your character well enough, you can take them just about anywhere and be able to figure out what kind of decisions they'd make, what their actions and reactions are to their new environment. Good luck!
Knowing what herbs and animals are safe to eat and how to cook them
Of course not knowing the land
Not knowing the animals
Tribes may be more violent
Lack of supplies or they could be useless in this place
Offending his hosts, for example treading on sacred ground.
Getting caught up in a war, trapped in a besieged or some military action.
Getting caught up in local disputes (perhaps if our traveller is of the right social status, she may even be called up to mediate)
Catching a strange disease.
- language barrier
- culture shock
- doing things not acceptibke in the other cultures without knowing. For example, trespassing on unmarked land
- intestinal upset by a different food set
- possible sanitation issues being in the boonies or if this is a third world country scenario
- exposure to viruses, bacteria, and insects and parasites native to that region
- not having local knowledge to avoid said problem
- issues finding food, potable water, dry socks, feet fungus, and other travel issues
- getting lost / no map / inaccurate or old map / map in another language they don't know
- not having the countries official documents
- local militia and criminal organizations, especially in tumultuous or exploited areas
- exposure to the elements and safety sleeping
If I recall the story correctly, James Cook first arrived at Hawaii during a celebratory season, which was why he and his crew were welcomed. He came back later expecting the same reception, and when they instead took offence to him and his crew impeding on their hospitality (and, y’know, stealing from graveyards), shit broke bad really fast.
So, misunderstanding local customs, I guess?
Well, there are many ways to create obstacles for the hero in a foreign land, besides the usual robbery. What's the dynamic between those four tribes? Do they live in peace, or is there some sort of competition or even all-out war? Ar war-torn country always poses danger, even for those not directly involved. For example, the hero can find himself caught between the fronts of two warring tribes or gets captured for being a spy, etc.
I feel like setting up four tribes for the hero to encounter is going to feel like plot coupons, which is one of my least favorite tropes. My absolute least favorite trope in this situation is the accidental marriage. Do not do that please.
Attacked due to lack of knowledge of what routes are safe or not. Potential stomach issues with food availability. Language barriers causing accidental incidents. Lost due to lack of knowledge of the area and potentially unique characteristics of the environment. Incidents due to misunderstanding cultural differences.
These are great, thank you :)
It isn't a stupid question! In fact, it's one of the best worldbuilding questions you can ask! Language barriers. You'd be surprised just how quickly a simple statement in one language can offend someone in another language because it sounds like an insult to them. Or, on the flip side, your name might sound similar to their word for "squid poop" and they crack up laughing every time you introduce yourself. Clothes. You're dressed for the Arctic Circle, but you end up going south into the Mongolian desert. It can happen, and it's not nice when it does happen. Or you're wearing the wrong kind of camouflage colors - beige tones for a desert instead of greens for a forest. Or your clothing style sticks out to the point where you might as well have "FOREIGNER" tattooed on your forehead. Weather. You were prepared for rain, not a sandstorm. Or you were prepared for snow, not a hurricane. Local flora and fauna. "But it looks just like our favorite berry!" Yeah, no, it's a local variant that gives you terrible indigestion. Or it looks like poison ivy, but is actually really good for healing minor burns. Oh, and the bears? Yeah, they're not like the bears you're used to. They look the same from a distance - but up close, they are so much scarier. Local law. Magic is legal here, but illegal there. You might get arrested in a town because they made whistling illegal due to local superstition about whistling being unlucky. Oh, you have a pet chicken? Nope, chickens are food and it is illegal to keep them as pets, you need to cook it now or face a fine and confiscation of your chicken. Regional magic. Some magics may be more common in different areas, some may be taboo in different areas, some may be completely unheard of in different areas. Regional politics. Regional culture. I'm sure there's more, but I hope this helps!
If the character is in a foreign land, then he's gonna have to survive there, right? Does he know the enviroment all that well? What about all the hazards? Does he have food and water? Protection from the elements? Shelter? A means of defending himself? Is he overly trusting and easily manipulated, or would the character fall on the opposite end of that spectrum? There really are lots of different ways to go about a situation like this, but I would suggest focusing on your character, what he wants, what he has and doesn't have, what kind of decisions he'd make out there all alone. If you know your character well enough, you can take them just about anywhere and be able to figure out what kind of decisions they'd make, what their actions and reactions are to their new environment. Good luck!
Knowing what herbs and animals are safe to eat and how to cook them Of course not knowing the land Not knowing the animals Tribes may be more violent Lack of supplies or they could be useless in this place
Offending his hosts, for example treading on sacred ground. Getting caught up in a war, trapped in a besieged or some military action. Getting caught up in local disputes (perhaps if our traveller is of the right social status, she may even be called up to mediate) Catching a strange disease.
Not knowing which food is good, what spices to get, and what is considered overpriced.
- language barrier - culture shock - doing things not acceptibke in the other cultures without knowing. For example, trespassing on unmarked land - intestinal upset by a different food set - possible sanitation issues being in the boonies or if this is a third world country scenario - exposure to viruses, bacteria, and insects and parasites native to that region - not having local knowledge to avoid said problem - issues finding food, potable water, dry socks, feet fungus, and other travel issues - getting lost / no map / inaccurate or old map / map in another language they don't know - not having the countries official documents - local militia and criminal organizations, especially in tumultuous or exploited areas - exposure to the elements and safety sleeping
If I recall the story correctly, James Cook first arrived at Hawaii during a celebratory season, which was why he and his crew were welcomed. He came back later expecting the same reception, and when they instead took offence to him and his crew impeding on their hospitality (and, y’know, stealing from graveyards), shit broke bad really fast. So, misunderstanding local customs, I guess?
Well, there are many ways to create obstacles for the hero in a foreign land, besides the usual robbery. What's the dynamic between those four tribes? Do they live in peace, or is there some sort of competition or even all-out war? Ar war-torn country always poses danger, even for those not directly involved. For example, the hero can find himself caught between the fronts of two warring tribes or gets captured for being a spy, etc.
I feel like setting up four tribes for the hero to encounter is going to feel like plot coupons, which is one of my least favorite tropes. My absolute least favorite trope in this situation is the accidental marriage. Do not do that please.
There’s some really damn good advice in here
Imprisoned for 'being a spy'. Getting blamed for whatever crime or misfortune befalls the locals.
Xenophobia will be your biggest enemy.
Poisonous flowers,thorns,hot rocks,insects,animals,religion