Fallen Shadows

In the dark recesses of the gloom is a small partition of space known as Fallen Shadows. It has approximately 500 forest stratum residents, and twice as many earth stratum creatures, and is nestled between a rock and a hard place. As with many things on the Surreal, this is literal; Fallen Shadows is situated between a sheer rock wall, and an endless petrified forest.
The power that allows Fallen Shadows to exist is a quintet of noble houses; they espouse themselves to be the descendants of an archfey 'named' Atheleisia that established the realm. These houses are house Lovelace, house Greyridge, house Nightshade, house Carstairs, and house Whitelaw. In typical Surreal fashion, the figureheads of each of these families is not any faded or satyr, but a living house. After centuries of paying respects to the noble houses as a concept, the houses themselves gained sapience and became a living symbol of the legitimacy of each of the five houses.

Demographics

Of the forest stratum inhabitants, 75% are faded, with another 10% being fairies, 5% being a slave class of Kingka, and the remaining 10% being a smattering of all sorts of races. The earth stratum inhabitants are too varied to list in a meaningful way.
How the kingka arrived is unknown, though it's assumed Atheleisia is responsible. This is supported by the fact that the kingka are bound by oath to serve Fallen Shadows; an oath that was easily weaseled out of, before the houses themselves became sapient. From there, the kingka were made to swear increasingly stringent oaths until they were effectively at the beck and call of the 5 houses.

Government

The main family that controls the trading relations between Fallen Shadows and other cities is the Greyridge family. The law enforcement of the city is controlled by the Whitelaw family. The Lovelace family were the diplomats of the city, keeping the political peace between their city and neighboring ones. The procurement of food and water was delegated to the Carstairs family. Lastly, the Nightshade family was in charge of production of goods and construction.
Each noble house specializes in a different aspect of maintaining the village. Oath-tracking is handled by the Whitelaw family, and is in some respects analogous to law enforcement. However, brutish violence and forcible detainment are looked down upon as behaviour fit for the Earth Stratum, and so law is handled through the laws of the Surreal; thus the Whitelaws are known for clever wordplay more than martial might. The Carstairs and Nightshade family handle the basics of sustenance and construction respectively, while the Greyridge and Lovelace families handle any foreigners; Greyridge focuses on trade and barter - specifically with the immaterial, such as emotions or sunlight - while the Lovelace handles any important visitors. While such visitors are rare, the amount of care that must go into making sure no archfey, powerful coven, or other important figure is offended in some esoteric way ensures they stay very busy.

Infrastructure

While the faded typically used shelter, the more wild residents of Fallen Shadows eschew it and simply sleep out in the open, or in humble hovels by choice. What housing does exist varies from ascetic to lavish; it entirely depends on the artistic whims of the Carstairs in the moment.

Geography

The village can be reached through the following lines, though only when said in the dark and while falling. Located within a valley where the darker shadows fall, there lies a town small. A crimson moon looms near, a thing seen only by ear.

Type

Village

Population

500 (1500)

Location under

The Surreal