So I dismissed the swim warnings and drowned my first character, a little fella who took over an abandoned hut near the river just south (that's SouthWest) of the starter stone in the first choice area. I made a second character, started exploring and noticed how pretty much everything has already been claimed and I can't really expand at all where I am now.
So I tried Macomb, a big unclaimed area - nice, except that there's a big old brick wall enclosing the entire starter area, making it impossible for me to exit the small area and find a place of my own. Is this be design? I feel pretty lost, surrounded by claims and rivers I cannot pass. :S