The Abandoned Village was a settlement established on the chilly world of Zeffo. This location was situated in proximity to the Derelict Hangar, the Turbine Facility, and the Weathered Monument. Archaeologists and scouts affiliated with the Galactic Republic were its original founders. During the Imperial Era, the Galactic Empire took control of the village as part of their Project Auger excavation efforts.
Prior to its desertion around 14 BBY, the village provided housing for several individuals, including Mirienna and Sienna, all of whom were displaced due to the Imperial occupation. After this displacement, Mirienna and Sienna managed to survive, but the village was left empty. Subsequently, various creatures, such as the scazz, inhabited the settlement, leading to frequent skirmishes with the Imperial garrison stationed there. In the year 14 BBY, Cal Kestis, a fugitive Jedi Padawan, discovered the abandoned village while on his mission to rebuild the Jedi Order.
The Abandoned Village was composed of ten buildings situated on the cold planet of Zeffo. The settlement was bordered by a cliff on one side, a sizable ravine on two sides, and a mountain wall on the remaining side. It was located near the Derelict Hangar, which served as a landing and trading spot for starships interacting with the villagers, and the Turbine Facility, a dilapidated structure housing several turbines. The Weathered Monument, a statue crafted by the ancient and technologically advanced Zeffonians, was visible from the village. Constructed across a multilevel terrain between two mountain peaks, the village featured at least three entry points: two from the Derelict Hangar and one from the Turbine Facility.
Access from the Turbine Facility involved traversing a cave featuring a bridge spanning a ravine. Alternatively, the village could be reached from the Derelict Hangar via a lengthy, winding path along the mountain's edge. This route included a metal bridge that had been destroyed by 14 BBY. The path led to a route marked with broad stone slabs near the village's outskirts, culminating in a rooftop structure within the village. A large turbine separated many buildings from the main settlement area. A shortcut was available through a blast door in the Derelict Hangar, leading into a tunnel and eventually to the rooftop of a residential building.
The village's architecture largely incorporated stone in rounded, curved forms, with many structures adorned with banners displaying colorful imagery. Metal bridges on the rooftops provided connections between buildings, including one linking a home near a waterfall to the rest of the village across a deep ravine. This ravine contained a river that flowed into another waterfall adjacent to the village, ultimately draining into a body of water at the base of the mountain.
By 14 BBY, numerous GX-8 Moisture Vaporators were positioned around the village, some of which were located on building rooftops. Many of the metal bridges were in a state of disrepair and were inhabited by local creatures, such as the subterranean scazz, as well as at least one jotaz, a large and fiercely aggressive predator native to Zeffo. By this time, snow and moss covered many of the buildings, and old pots lined the village streets, overgrown with grass.
A small group of Galactic Republic archaeologists and pioneers founded the village. Following Order 66 in 19 BBY, an order embedded within the behavioral modification biochips of clone troopers that directed them to execute the Jedi for treason against the Galactic Republic, the villagers discovered the Crash Site of a Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer that had crashed following a battle against a Separatist dreadnought. They erected a memorial to honor the fallen clone troopers on the wrecked ship.
By 14 BBY, the Galactic Empire had arrived on Zeffo and initiated Project Auger, an Imperial operation focused on excavating valuable Zeffonian artifacts for the Galactic Emperor. Excavations commenced almost immediately. As part of this project, the Empire occupied the village, displacing its residents by forcibly removing them from their homes and transporting them to labor camps under Imperial Code 94364. This code prohibited unauthorized selling or trading and mandated that the Empire's 201st Squadron, led by General Markon, protect the villagers' property.
During the relocation of the inhabitants, Ostar, a villager, created a distraction for several Imperial stormtroopers, enabling his wife, Mirienna, and their daughter, Sienna, to escape. Mirienna and Sienna survived and evaded the Empire's forced relocation efforts on the planet. However, the village was abandoned and exposed to the strong, gusty winds of Zeffo. In 14 BBY, two scout troopers attacked and killed a scazz on the village's outskirts. In that same year, Cal Kestis, a fugitive Jedi Padawan, explored the village and engaged in combat with stormtroopers, standard scout troopers, and Scout Trooper Commanders to reach the Tomb of Eilram and later the Tomb of Miktrull.
While there, Kestis utilized a Force ability known as psychometry to gain insight into past events. During his exploration, he opened a chest near a stone wall on the edge of the settlement, which contained enough durite to construct a lightsaber handle. He also opened two chests positioned on rooftops, one containing a sleeve for the Duty and Resolve lightsaber and the other containing the material for the Guardian outfit.
The Abandoned Village was first featured and identified in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which was developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts on November 15, 2019. The location was initially revealed during the game's Xbox E3 Briefing on June 10, 2019. Jean-Francois Rey, an artist, created the concept art for the village.
Similar to the rest of the game, the location was significantly influenced by 3D Metroidvania type design, an action-adventure subgenre characterized by expansive, interconnected maps with paths that unlock as the player progresses. It was the initial environment designed, and it was intentionally given simple shapes to ensure familiarity and ease of navigation. In one set of concept art, it was depicted as being located on a mountain's edge, with the buildings appearing more triangular in shape.