All Favor was never meant to be large.

It was meant to be promising.

Nestled between two protective mountain ridges and resting along the edge of a clear alpine lake, the village once felt sheltered in a way few settlements did. The mountains curved inward like quiet guardians, shielding the land from harsh winds. The lake reflected the peaks with such clarity that sunrise often turned the entire valley gold.

It was a simple place. Wooden homes. Terraced fields carved carefully into sloping earth. Fresh water flowing steadily from glacial streams. The soil, enriched by mineral runoff from the mountains, proved fertile despite its elevation.

When King Kestus visited in the early years of his reign, he stood at the lake’s edge and reportedly declared the land favored. Favored by the High Matron’s generosity. Favored by the All Father’s structure in its natural fortification. Favored by Llithe itself.

The name stayed.

All Favor was intended to become a pillar settlement for northern farmers. Its elevated fields would diversify crop cycles. Its lake would support irrigation and freshwater fisheries. Expansion plans were drafted. Storehouses were marked for construction. Trade paths were outlined to connect the valley more directly with Bera and Reach.

Then Kingdom Come fractured the realm.

All Favor was too small to defend itself meaningfully. Its location, once protective, became isolating. Supply routes faltered. Fields went untended. The village did not burn in a grand siege. It simply unraveled.

Families fled toward safer territories. Livestock were driven out. Crops withered without hands to maintain them. By the time the war ended, All Favor stood hollow.

The houses remain.

Wooden beams weathered but upright. Stone foundations intact. The terraced fields still visible along the mountain slopes, though overgrown with wild grasses. The lake remains pristine, unnervingly calm. Fish still ripple its surface. The wind still descends gently from the ridges.

Yet no one returned in force.

Some claim the valley feels wrong since the war. Not cursed. Not corrupted. Just heavy. As if it remembers expectation that was never fulfilled. Travelers who pass through report a strange stillness. Sound carries too clearly. Footsteps echo longer than they should.

The name All Favor now feels ironic.

What was once declared blessed now stands abandoned, a quiet scar between mountains.