Triat

The Triat are three of the greatest entities in the spiritual heirarchy: the Wyld, the Weaver and the Wyrm. In the cosmology of the Garou and other changing breeds, these three are responsible for the creation, perfection and destruction of all things, though opinions differ as to whether they created or were created by Gaia.

Theurges disagree over whether the members of the Triat are great spirits or another order of entity entirely, but it is known that, like Gaia and the celestials, they are beyond the comprehension of mortals. They are never encountered directly, and even the mightiest of their spirit children never claim to speak for their patrons. The Triat are primal forces rather than gods, and their personification seems unique to shapechanger mythology; mages who are students of Spirit are rarely aware of their existence, even when visiting the spirit world. By contrast, shapechangers generally see all things as influenced by the Triat, able to detect the "taint" of Wyrm or Weaver on mundane and spiritual things.

All shapechangers agree that originally the Triat were in balance. Some say Wyld created raw matter, life and spirit while Weaver gave these creations form and function, and the Wyrm destroyed them to make room for new creations. Others insist that the Wyrm was once known as Balance, selectively destroying the creations of Wyld and Weaver to create harmony from the opposing forces of chaos and order. Tales also differ over whether all three were created at the one time, had always existed, or whether they created each other.

Shapechangers also agree that the Triat is no longer balanced: the Weaver draws on the strength of humanity - it's cities, technology, industry, and science - and is stronger than ever before. The Wyld's influence retreats as natural resources are plundered, the wild places of the world deestroyed and nature forced to do man's bidding. Most dangerous of all, however, is the Wyrm - it feeds on evil and destroys without distinction. Something holds it in check, but Garou see it's power grows and fear the day it will break free to bring the ultimate destruction - the Apocalypse. Stories differ as to how the imbalance came about, but one of the most common tells that Weaver trapped the Wyrm in her webs, allowing her order to be imposed without being destroyed while the imprisoned Wyrm, unable to escape, fell into madness. In contrast, some claim the Weaver is insane, and the Wyrm's lust for destruction is in order to destroy the overabundance of order.

As a result of the threat of Wyrm and Weaver, most shapechangers revere the Wyld above the other members of the Triat, seeing it - and Gaia - in need of protection. There are exceptions, however; the Ananasi, for example, revere all three equally, though each individual champions just one. The Wyrm has only one group of devoted shapechangers: the Black Spiral Dancers, a tribe of werewolves once loyal to Gaia who were corrupted while battling the Wyrm. The Weaver's main allies are human, though the activities of the Technocracy also give it great strength. Vampires bear the tain of the Wyrm when scrutinised by Gifts; this and their love of cities and civilisation, bulwarks of the Weaver, are the source of the hatred held for vampires by most shapechangers.