Location from The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
A cold, proud kingdom on the northern coast — six duchies united under the Farseer throne, besieged by raiders from the sea and rotting from betrayal within.
The Six Duchies smells of salt spray, pine smoke, and horse. The coastal winds are relentless, driving rain sideways into harbors and making every outdoor conversation a shouting match. In summer the forests hum with life; in winter the same forests go silent under snow that doesn't melt until spring. The culture prizes practicality, loyalty, and a particular kind of stubborn endurance that outsiders mistake for lack of imagination. The people are suspicious of magic (except the Skill, which is royal), hostile to outsiders, and fiercely protective of their own. There is a warmth here, but you have to earn it — the Six Duchies doesn't give anything away.
A kingdom of rocky coastlines, thick forests, and harsh winters. The landscape runs from the fishing villages and cliffside fortresses of the coastal duchies to the rolling farmland of the interior. Stone is the building material of choice — gray granite that weathers like the people who quarry it. The roads are old and well-maintained, the rivers navigable, the harbors deep. It is a land that looks like it was built to endure sieges, which it was.
Also known as: The Six Duchies, The Duchies