Neighbouring Settlements and Homesteads
The Closest Homesteads
Sixhomes is one of three homesteads in this region, and with these neighbours it shares defence duties, craftsmen, and trade. One homestead lies to the northeast and the other directly east.
The northeastern homestead is known as Parnham, it lies 8 miles away (a morning's walk). It is a collection of 4 farms, the centre one being the Parnham Farm, which is the largest. This farm on its own is larger than any of the farms found at Sixhomes, but in total, the Parnham Homestead is little over half the size of Sixhomes.
The eastern homestead is named 'Browns', and is supposedly a single farm, although these days it is made up of a dozen or more small farmhouses spread out. Each farmhouse had its own arable lands, and there are a couple of large common pastures that they share. Browns can be found nine miles east of Sixhomes.
Further Afield
Other homesteads lie further east, and closer to Caldonacia. There are two more settlements to the southeast and east of Browns, each another dozen or more miles away. These are Ellington Hold and Cumber Farm.
Ellington Hold takes its name from a ruined (pre-war) stone fort that it nestles around, while Cumber Farm is a small collection of farms, much like Browns it is said. Alas, the locals in Sixhomes don't really go out this far, and don't know much about them. Until recently Ellington was owned and operated by Elman Granton, who has many years behind him now, and had become more and more alone in recent years as his immediate family has dwindled. He has recently sold his homestead to a new owner with some vigour, Cullum Macready, who, it is rumoured, is keen to make a success of his new farming venture. Most of the farm and surrounding lands are operated by other farmers these days.
To the west, beyond the river, the land is known as 'orc country'. There are some rolling downs, and small hilly areas where, it is rumoured, there are caves nestled at the bottoms of valleys. The humans mostly keep to the east of the river here (where Sixhomes is on the edge of human civilisation), but there is little direct interaction with the orcs.
Some orc settlements out that way are known to be completely feral, and have caused trouble in the past. But mostly, the orc tribes are in a similar situation to the inhabitants of the human lands - they know the cost of attacking people, and there is plenty of space out here to live. The humans are useful to them, too - there are even traders that will trade orc-made goods for human-grown food.
This trade means that the orc-lands to the east provide some protection for humans from wild monsters that may live beyond those lands.