Geographical Location #
The Court of Shades is nestled within the Blackstone mountains in The Beyond. The very first Lord Nightfall commissioned a palace – Castle Nightfall – to be built into the tallest mountain to serve as a natural deterrent to any enemies.
Notable Families #
The Court of Shades is home to several known and ancient families, including:
- Nightfall
- Blackwing – a family of warriors, cousins to the Nightfallen
- Ravenlace – extremely wealthy, guardians of Lake Nightfall
- Bloodswallow – an older family with ties to ancient magic
- Dashwood – came from the Spring Court and settled following the war
- Silverfall – a family known for their military might, cousins to the Moonblades
- Moonblade – noble family and a minor house, cousins of the Silverall
- Shadowhale – distant relatives of the Nightfallen, they control steel and weaponry in the fae realm
- Blackwind – longtime rivals to the Blackwings, they are known to maintain a presence at court for spying
- Seagrave – distantly related to the Ravenlaces, they came to court before the war ended
- Windemere – known as the “steady house”, they are politically neutral and very wealthy
- Hawthorne – controls the import of wood from other courts, politically diplomatic/apolitical
- Goldwing – controls the banking system throughout the realm, very wealthy, allegedly descended from dragons
- Ebonywood
Lake Nightfall #
Lake Nightfall was constructed to ease the flow of building materials to court during the building of Castle Nightfall. After the castle was completed the lake was used for military purposes only.
According to ancient lore, Lake Nightfall was once a forest that became submerged underwater when the mother of a young witch discovered her daughter had been murdered by her fae lover. In revenge the mother flooded the wood until the lake was formed. When the Nightfallen laid claim to the Court of Shades during the forming of the courts, the body of water became forever more known as Lake Nightfall.
Legend has it that the souls of those who lived within the woods when the food occured still haut the deepest water of the lake. These days the Ravenlaces take stewardship of the lake, preventing death by drowning by prohibiting anyone from going into or sailing across its waters.
In the forest mountains surrounding the court on all sides is said to be haunted by the souls of the witches whose daughter was killed by a fae lover. They are said to cast spells of nature that frighten unprepared travelers.
