If you haven't already, make a new user at Shards, and follow the Shards guide for character creation. Once you have a character (or if you're not new to this whole Shards thing), type in Autumncross in the 'Write in a Room' section to visit the primary Autumncross room.
That's completely up to you! Autumncross is a huge, busy trade city full of different races and classes, set in a high fantasy, low-tech world. Is your character a work-a-day grunt who lives in the city, or a wealthy noble passing through on a pleasure-cruise?
Sure! Although it's unlikely anyone will know who you are. Is The Witcher in witness protection? I'd watch that. :D
Nope! Almost all of the businesses on the interactive map were auto-generated. If you want to add your shop to the map, take a screenshot with the location clearly marked, and email it to autumncross.world (at) gmail (dot) com along with basic info like:
As long as it isn't already occupied by an actual character (which is highly unlikely), I'll add your shop! If that happens, I'll email you back and ask you to pick another spot.
It sucks, but everyone who plays here is pretty busy. Most of us live in the US, though. Your best bet is Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evenings, if you want to rp live. We don't blank the rooms, though, so if you don't mind a slower-paced scene, we also log in periodically to check for activity. You're also welcome to shoot an email to the address above, if you want to ask about a specific time.