The Old World

The original 'real world' and the primary plane of material reality, the Old World now serves as the mostly non-magical counterpart to the magical world of Genesis. It's the reality we know and the place where almost all mortals lived before the Shattering; since then, it's become the modern world with an overwhelmingly human population and lost a great deal of its innate magic that was stripped away in the process of creating a whole new plane.
While most of the inhabitants of Genesis have a certain level of curiosity about the Old World, they are apprehensive of its relative lack of magic and have no real desire to live or travel there if it can be avoided. They tend to see the inhabitants of the Old World as deserving of pity, deprived of their history and the magic that was once their birthright.

Physical Qualities

While they appear very similar in their general physical laws and presentation, the Old World and Genesis differ fundamentally due to the presence or absence of magic. Before the Shattering, the unified material plane counted magic as part of its essential makeup; it was the factor that led to the rise of natural magic in the various mortal races, supported the existence of inherently magical creatures and spirits, and generally infused the world as a whole. The presence of magic inspired the fantastic, resulting in many of the myths and legends that the humans of the Old World still remember.
Following the Shattering, however, the Old World is a far more magic-starved place. Magic is still possible and is practiced among various magic-blooded communities, but it's less likely to develop as a natural talent and those who use it regenerate their natural energy at a much slower rate due to the relative rarity of their atmosphere. Those who are born in Genesis have trouble staying in the Old World for long periods of time and vice versa; the presence or absence of magic, never noticed, becomes a tangible force on the body and in most individuals can cause effects ranging from discomfort to physical illness.
While it is far less inherently magical, the Old World isn't entirely devoid of magic. Some places are still more powerfully magical than others, if not to nearly the same extent that they were before the Shattering, and it's still possible to find random flares-ups and periods where magical influence will increase in an area for no apparent reason. These spontaneous events, happening more commonly in some places than others, are responsible for many unexplained or seemingly supernatural phenomenon in an otherwise magic-starved world.

Access

Access back and forth between Genesis and the Old World is relatively simple and can happen at any of the multiple points of entry to a shard. While the specifics of using a particular entryway vary wildly, depending on the specifics defined during the shard's creation, most are relatively straightforward. They often include factors like a specific time of day, a ritual phrase, or an offering of blood belonging to a particular race.
These access conditions were intended to safeguard the passage between Genesis and the Old World, making it more difficult for those who didn't know about the shards to accidentally stumble upon them. They're not foolproof, however, and there have been isolated instances where a human will unknowingly meet the right criteria and stumble straight into what to them seems like an otherworld. There have also been instances where individuals have seemingly managed to bypass the entryways of a shard entirely; theories as to how this happens vary wildly, but the more sentimental suggest that Genesis recognizes its own and welcomes those in need of refuge.
In the modern day, the entrances linking the Old World to Genesis are carefully safeguarded on the Old World side by an organization known as the Watchers. Operating out of safehouses called Waystations, they protect the magical crossover points while also helping to facilitate travelers who have to cross the Old World in their journeys between the shards.

Rulers and Inhabitants

The overwhelming majority of the Old World's population is human, most of whom have no knowledge of the existence of magic or the history of their world before the Shattering. It's the world as seen on a modern map, with its own countries, rulers, and balances of power; technology and human innovation serves to fill the void left when magic was stripped away.
There are segments within the larger population that are still aware of the magical world; many of them magic-blooded humans, but also vampires and other standouts like the Seraph family. For humans aware of the presence of Genesis, there's comfort to be found in community. Many maintain their own towns or neighborhoods within larger cities, where a low level of magic supplements the mundane appearance they present to the outside world. These magical communities are often clustered around the entrances to shards or along major veins of travel for those who are Genesis-born and crossing through the Old World; they have no larger sense of organization or governance beyond a general sense of common ground.

Quick Facts

Inner/Outer Spindle: inner
Magic Saturation: low
Governed By: mortals
Reachable: yes