Then he turned, and headed to a library(?), to look up Trolls, Desert elves and any information on the eastern lands.
The Northern Trolls are an ancient and particularly vicious race peopling the northern continent. Although little is known of their actual culture, most scholars agree on the fact that they work in clans similar to that of orcs, and that most of their economy (if the system of exchanges of these barbarians can qualify as an economy) is based on stealing from superior peoples. Although they do not present that much of a danger at sea (they lack the skill or the infrastructure to make any ship bigger than a trireme), they are extremely dangerous in a fight.
Physically, they look like big, hairy, mean apes; most of them are satisfied with wearing loincloths, and they only dress and arm themselves when they go to war or when they are raiding. Generally standing at nine to ten feet tall, they tower over any other known race, and they make even the orcs look like weakling when it comes to sheer muscles. However, most scholars agree that they are particularly dumb; the smartest troll known to civilization could not count beyond fifty. It is generally agreed that trolls are best avoided, unless one has an army behind himself.
The Desert Elves, or the Kevaki as they call themselves, are particularly peculiar species. Being the only known race that is united under the banner of one nation, they are widely respected in the south, and they only fear the Lizardmen who hold the western jungles together. They are well known sailors and merchants, and are much more civilized than their cousins of the north (although that is a small feat). They are well known for their vast territories that grew vastly beyond their homelands of the desert, although the outer rims are little more than colonies.
The Kevaki have... Little love for Hadria, as barbarians tend to have. This goes back to the early days of the empire, before the fall of the eastern alliance, when the humans of the plains rallied under the banner of a southern warlord to push the Elves out of human lands and back into the desert. Although our nation, which was small at the time, did not play a big role in the war, it is the only one still standing mighty all these years later, and they still view us with distrust.
[4]
The Eastern continent is... Not well known. However, there is some very precious information on the civilization that is looking for trade in the south; a map showing probable locations of some cities, and a short document presenting the bases of their language. With some studying, you could talk with them!