In the northern Border Princes, in the shadow of the haunted Geistenmund Hills, lies the town of Sonnental. Originally founded by Imperial exiles, Sonnental now has a darker heritage. The town's walls are guarded by the Undead, not only to keep the marauders and Greenskins out, but also to keep the inhabitants in. The Lahmian Sisterhood rules Sonnental—a miniature model of how the city of Lahmia will look when its long-lost daughters finally return.[1a]
By day, the people of Sonnental go about their dreary lives. The preferred servants of the Lahmians are allowed out of town to work the farms, always under the watchful guard of the Vampires' Undead servants—Zombies and Wights taken from the barrows in the hills. These servants also travel further afield, kidnapping travellers and those who will not be missed, dragging them back to Sonnental to replenish the town's ever-dwindling population.[1a]
By night, the people huddle in their homes as beautiful figures clothed in the elegant costumes the people slave to create walk the streets, selecting those they wish to feed on. Those who cooperate with the Vampires may win immunity for themselves and their households, either by informing on those who attempt to escape or organise uprisings, or by crafting especially ornate pieces of finery for their mistresses to wear.[1a]
New arrivals to Sonnental are surprised by how cowed the citizenry are. Partly, this situation is caused by the Lahmians' preternatural ability to dominate those around them, but there is more to it than magic. In the war-torn and unstable Border Princes, Sonnental is a rare outpost of relative safety, at least to threats from without. Compared to the ravening hordes wandering the countryside, the Vampires are at least a threat that can be bargained with. Most of the townspeople concentrate on finding ways to make themselves useful to their dark mistresses rather than trying to defeat them—and those who do plot against them are publicly made examples of, their drained and mutilated corpses gibbeted in the town square for all to see.[1a]