Introduction to the Old World

Geography
Eridas, better known as the “Old World'', is one of the two large continents of Austrolaria. It is the smaller of the two, being roughly equivalent in size to continental Europe. Its climate is largely cool and temperate. The northernmost extremes verge on arctic conditions while the southern tip lies roughly at the planet's equator. Eridas is bordered to the north by the freezing wastes of the arctic, to the south and west by vast oceans, and to the east by the trackless expanses of the great steppe. The continent can broadly be divided into three geographic regions, the green and fertile river country of the Heartlands, the rugged and mountainous Westmarches, and the dry and arid lands of the Summer Coast.
Civilization
Eridas is the ancient birthplace of humanity but is also home to the dwarves, the elves, and other peoples. Since the discovery and conquest of the New World, Eridasian civilization has entered a flourishing golden age. The large human kingdoms of Western Eridas have become the seats of expansive colonial empires whose conquests in the New World have made them rich and influential. Free cities, dwarfholds, and small independent fiefdoms dot the landscape between the major centers of power. The last of the elves dwell in the extreme Southwest of the continent, mourning the lost glories of their forefathers.