Location from The First Law by Joe Abercrombie
A brutal, beautiful wilderness ruled by Named Men and clan loyalty — where power comes from the sharpness of your sword and the fearfulness of your reputation.
The North smells like pine, blood, and woodsmoke. It's governed by the simple principle that the strongest man leads until a stronger one kills him. Named Men — warriors whose reputations precede them — are the North's aristocracy, and their currency is violence. The North has been united and divided a dozen times. Bethod united it through cunning. Black Dow held it through fear. Calder schemed it. Rikke sees it. The land doesn't care who rules — it just keeps producing warriors who'll fight about it. It's the series' heart — raw, honest, and incapable of the civilized pretensions that make the Union bearable. In the North, at least the violence is straightforward.
Vast, cold, and untamed — dense forests, snow-capped mountains, rushing rivers, and scattered settlements that are more fortified camps than cities. The landscape is beautiful in the way that dangerous things are beautiful — all sharp edges and sudden drops.
Also known as: The North, The Northlands