Hello, I just started playing L2 today. I made a Dark Elf fighter. I noticed that there are not a lot of people around the starting village which is understandable. Where might I go in order to meet new people and trade etc?
You are coming into the game an the fourth Chronicle. Most of the server is in their 50s - 70s in terms of level at this point. Starter towns will be somewhat empty since there isn;t much content in this game to keep players going there once they surpass the local mob level range. (A few quests here and there, but not much else)
The good news is that those first few levels blur past very quickly, and your toon will need to venture further away from your starter town to gain XP.
As noted that will take you to areas such as Gludin and eventually Dion. Once you hit Dion you'll see much more activity. As you progress from Dion to Giran and Oren you'll find more players to interact with (though Oren itself is always a pretty dead town on every server I've been on).
For now, enjoy the freedom of playing the game and exploring areas where you can fight for good xp. As you level up, more players and more dangers restrict some of that freedom... or enhance it... depending on your perspective.