Salem

Hey guys - I'm sure the majority of you have been in my shoes; enthralled by the potential for adventure but utterly, hopelessly, bewildered by the shear size and (through my BRIEF experiences) emptiness of this terrifying land... I'm in need of enlightenment.

I've browsed the forums and wiki cautiously but still have unanswered questions:
- Compass?! Does it exist? I'm aware there are landmarks... a compass that acknowledges them (rather than N,S,E,W) would be a true beacon!
- How does one obtain a map..? I read something about an NPC selling them, methinks? (I'd like to avoid any mods or alternate clients.)
- Starting a new character, should I port to Providence and find a nice place to build camp nearby? (Obviously not too nearby...but close enough that I can run to town to sell items)

I know it's a pain to answer these questions so thanks in advance to any who do.

I'm not aware of any compass other than the minimap (sort of). You can fast travel to the landmarks using silver, though.
The NPCs in Providence near the band wagons are possibly willing to lead you to them. Ask them where they are going (rightclick them, they'll tell you which direction they're headed at).
Check out your crafting menu, you should be able to craft a map already. Try to avoid doing so on claimed land. After you've crafted it, rightclick the map to name it and hit enter. Upon rightclicking again you will see this map with a red X showing where you are on it.
Walking from Providence will provide you with the knowledge of where you are relative to Providence and it'll also save some map tiles into C://User/youruser/Salem/map (if you're using a custom client that saves map tiles, that is) which you could merge together to get a more detailed map.
You definitely won't want to live within walking distance of Providence, unless you're prepared to set yourself up very well.