While the backstreets may have once been a thriving community, a refuge away from the noisy city where they could practice magic in peace, they've long since been abandoned. The winding streets are easy to get lost in if you do not know where you are going - and sometimes even when you do. They are shortcuts for the fortunate, escapes for the desperate, and dead ends for the rest.
The few who do reside in them them are not the most pleasant. They may help, if you can handle the price. Cut a deal with caution, or you may never find your way out.
Backstreets tells the stories of those who managed to find them. People stumble in very rarely, but those unlucky few that do are usually trapped within the labyrinth with no hope of ever escaping - at least, not unscathed.