Location from The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
An archipelago of harsh, proud islands — the source of the Red Ship raiders who terrorized the Six Duchies, later allied through Dutiful's marriage to Elliania.
The OutIslands are a hard place that produces hard people. The culture is clan-based and matrilineal — women hold property and clan leadership passes through the mother's line, which surprises visitors from the patriarchal Six Duchies. Honor, hospitality, and obligation are the currency here, not gold. The Red Ship War originated from the OutIslands when some clan leaders adopted Forging as a weapon, but the OutIslands themselves were not uniformly behind the raids. The politics are fractured, clan against clan, and the alliance with the Six Duchies through Dutiful and Elliania's marriage is an attempt to bridge centuries of hostility.
A scattered archipelago of windswept, rocky islands in cold northern seas. The landscape is spare — stone, heather, and thin soil supporting a people who survive through raiding, fishing, and sheer stubbornness. The settlements are built low and sturdy against the constant wind, with longhouses and harbor fortifications.
Also known as: The OutIslands, Out Islands, The Islands