Nearly a running gag throughout the series, the Farlands is aptly named. Its only natives are those whose ancestors landed there by way of being shipwrecked with no way off this little continent. Something like a crossbow would be considered a major artifact, and a single goblin holding one would be considered the local warlord (without the army, just the crossbow). It is an unremarkable land of fields, woods, and some rivers. Even though its location puts it not too far out of the way of some local trading routes, ships at sea will still go out of their way to avoid it. Not because it is dangerous- it is not and everyone knows it- but because the place just is not worth the time.

I guess you might say that The Farlands is to Maldene what major portions of Kansas are to Earth, just minus any sort of large city (and by large, I mean anything with a population greater than about 12 people).