The Kingdom of Northwood-Oregon is a primarily local micronation, it relies completely on local citizens to fill its government and make decisions, and until very recently it didn't allow non-locals to gain any type of citizenship. The Gray Shift is a term coined by Sovereign Carson I to describe the mass graduation of more than 41% of the Kingdom's citizenry which are still in high school. This is problematic for the Kingdom as it will greatly lower the number of citizens which who can help recruit and be available for local activities due to the expectation that many will be moving away to college or trade school.

This prompted a recruitment drive to take place within the Kingdom in order to lower this percentage of graduating members. This has so far been successful, as now just over 34% of citizens who are in high school are graduating. But a recruitment drive was not the only attempt made to rectify the problem.

Perhaps the largest effort came from the creation of the Fallen Timbers Creation Committee, which would work to establish the March of Fallen Timbers, a border territory of the Kingdom which would be considered a subsidiary state of the Northwood-Oregon. This effort was headed by the Countess of Eastmoreland, who had the most contact with the prospective members from Fallen Timbers. The March would have had four states, including a Princeland which, similar to the Kingsland and Queensland, would have been headed by the proposed monarch of the March of Fallen Timbers, Sovereign Prince EJ. The creation of the March of Fallen Timbers sadly did not occur, and the creation committee fell into disarray.

The legacy of the March of Fallen Timbers does not end there though, as it prompted the creation of a new program for non-locals to get involved in the Kingdom. Through Royal Decree IX/2022, Sovereign Carson I created the Northwood-Oregonian Mark, a territory which would be claimed by a non-local for the Kingdom. These Marks would be headed by Mark Barons, and individuals would be able to become citizens of the Mark and by extension limited citizens of Northwood-Oregon. Limited citizens are citizens who have no influence over the local politics of the Kingdom. Also notably, if a Mark reaches five citizens, the Mark Baron of that Mark will be promoted to the status of Marquess. It is unknown if this project will prove beneficial to the Kingdom in the long run however, or if it will assist in lessoning the effects of the Gray Shift.

With graduation on June 5th, the clock is ticking to ensure the local stability of the Kingdom.