From Ask and Embla

But then the question is, where do we go from there? These characters would need a home base. My character, for example can easily come home a lot, but she's not likely to attend said festival for a long time.

A settlement isn't out of the realm of possibility, especially if you make homesteads far flung. Land was important, and if you're sitting on a hundred acres...well...that's a lot between you and others but you're still close enough to meet. Some clans could be in a center, while others on the outlands. If that's the case, not everyone knows everyone else. And if people wanted, one or two characters could know, or at least be aware of the existence of others.

The other positive point with a settlement is that we as the writers can introduce other characters that could help with story arcs. We can create villains within a society, and our characters could help out there, or love interests etc., It gives us a lot more options for this campfire and more of a bank to draw creativity from.

Or we could have characters from neighboring settlements too which would allow for possible clan wars...