I know most of us are from the Northern Hemisphere, so we're used to thinking about climates and compass directions in certain relations, but I think a very easy way to make your (Northern Hemisphere) audience to remember that this is a fantasy world is simply to place your characters in the Southern Hemisphere.

Make the treacherous mountains be in the frozen South, buy spices from the exotic North! These concepts are completely real, but can still give you a sense of difference so that your world is not just your home with dragons.

Oh my goodness, that's a brilliant idea! I never even thought about it until now.

I actually did this almost by accident in one world. In the first part of its history that I came up with, the main countries were in the northern hemisphere. Then I 'discovered' more history before and after that period, and many of the main countries and events during those times turned out to be in the south.

It is a good idea, simply because it doesn't seem to be done very often in fantasy.

Woo for mixing up the fantasy genre again!

Aye, this is a glorious idea. What if the West had dangers and mystery surrounding it instead of the East, too?

That's how it is in Lamar, only that it's more like the East and West were in America than it is on the Eurasian continent, but you can really do it any way you want.

In The Hobbit, Tolkien has the dwarves make maps with West as the top point rather than North. That's a way to change things up as well.

*nodnod* I did that (albeit unintentionally) with the map for my world.

It's certainly a spectacular idea. I'd never have thought of it that way before now, thanks for that.

Sure thing.