Glad you asked! If you live here, which you do, you have likely noticed the natural barriers that surround our town and shelter us from whatever may lie outside it: the aforementioned forest – known simply as the Wilds – deterring any would-be explorers from venturing too far; the Cliffs, a towering wall of slate and sandstone concealing this town on all sides but the shore; finally, the massive rubble of rock and stone lining our small coast protecting from floods as well as any oceanic onlookers that happen to pass by. People are allowed to leave of course, there’s just no good reason to.
Interestingly, not once have we seen or contacted other civilizations. This has led some to theorize that there are no such civilizations to be found.