The Formational Wars
Description
The truth of what would come to be called the Formational Wars is shrouded in mystery and, like all history, what is known today is told by the victors. Many believe these accounts to the letter while other, more secular students of history view them with a critical eye. Discussed in The Great Web, the holy text of The Way of the Weavers, it is described as the conclusion to an immeasurable period of tension between the Weavers and an ancient collection of beings known as the Primordials.
Official History
As told in official capacities, the Weavers came to this universe from somewhere beyond, a place incomprehensible and unnamable by mortals. They came seeking something new, and to bring forth a form of progeny to carry forward their legacy and name. But this universe wasn't empty. Rather, they found it to be made up of unbounded elemental energies which had spawned timeless entities they called Primordials, made up of the energy of the universe.
At first, they worked to cooperate with these beings, offering them a place of honour in the new world they were to build. Some were swayed by the Weaver's described utopia they hoped to build, but most Primordials saw this extension of friendship as a ruse to weaken and enslave them, encouraged by the whispered manipulations of Asrhaar - The Shadowed One, who opposed Cynwy's Great Web plan. They refused the Weaver's offer, saying instesd that they would not allow the Weavers to reshape their home.
But this universe was where the Great Web woven by Cynwy had fated the birth of a new collection and kind of being was to begin, and they refused to obey the wishes of the Primordials. They began drawing together the disaparate, chaotic energies into dense and organized groups that would become the solid matter of the material plane.
As these energies were reformed, the Primordials felt themselves weakening, and for the first timed in their history they united together, sending to the Weavers an ultimatum. Cease their work, and leave, or be forced out. The Weavers, urged forward by Cynwy, struck first, beginning an eons long conflict that would be called the Formational Wars by their followers in the future.
After eons of conflict, eventually the more organized and strategic Weavers, and those Primordials who sided with them, claimed victory, both sides having lost many of their number in the fighting. The turned Primordials were each gifted their own world upon which they were given the freedom to build their own paradises. Honoured highest among them was Kapheira The Giver - Mother Willow who Cynwy recognized as the most nurturing and loyal of her kind. She was gifted Bastion, and told the life she bore there was fated to become the eternal, favoured children of the gods whose domain would encompass their galaxy.
The conflict, and the vacuum created with the death of so many powerful beings, is said to have caused a disruption in the Ley Field energies that bind the universe. This period of instability was predicted by Cynwy, and was combated by the work of creating new life. But, in an unparalleled instance of surprise for the Fate Weaver, it led to the birth of a new Weaver for the first time since their awakening. Believed to have been influenced by humanity's use of Technomancy, Abanok The Crafted was a Weaver whose form mixed organic and technomantic elements, and who became a patron of Technomancer's while considered a pariah, and a potential threat by Cynwy and her loyalists.
Spread
The story of the Formational Wars is one that is well studied by those in upper echelon of the Way of the Weavers. Their Shuttles and Web Walkers spread the tales of the grand war that led to the creation of the universe as it is known today with all who will listen. The tale from the perspective of the Primordials, however, has been lost to history.
Variations & Mutation
There are small variations on the story depending on who amongst the followers of the Way is telling it, but the primary difference lies in the prominence of the specific Weaver the teller is partial to.
Cultural Reception
Those amongst the human species, and those dedicated citizens of the S.A.C, treat this tale with reverence, seeing it as a representation of the struggle and conflict of the "strong shall survive" world that they live in. Many believe that this conflict should be viewed as a lesson in how to live their lives, as well as the ultimate sacrifice made by the Weavers to bring about their existence which has earned the gods their worship.
Those less inclined towards the ruling powers often see this story in different ways, but all of the interpretations agree that it is a heavily manufactured and cherry-picked tale designed to brainwash and sway the opinions of the masses.
In Literature
Outside of the Great Web, there are a range of fictional books, poems, and performative stories that take inspiration from, or use entirely the conflict as their subject matter. Many are told from the perspective the S.A.C takes, but some further afield from the mainstream can be seen to criticize, going so far an to make inferences of genocide.
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