The Severance War
The Conflict
Prelude
In the years following the third Festival of Threads, a radical sect of Thalrani known as the Ashthread Covenant claimed to have received prophetic signs from the Unweaving Spire itself. These signs, they argued, were a call to return and reclaim the shattered homeland of Myriath, now forbidden as The Shatterdeep Expanse. Despite warnings from both diaspora elders and foreign governments, the Covenant launched coordinated expeditions into the Expanse. They established a hidden enclave called Vael’Enor and began rituals to "stitch the land whole again." These efforts caused metaphysical anomalies, destabilizing ley currents across Umbrenor and Selendral. When peace efforts failed, Thalrani elders invoked The Laws of the Last Loom, activating the long-dormant Concord of Threaded Vow to intervene. Thus, a civil conflict began that risked unraveling the very balance the diaspora swore to uphold.
Deployment
The Ashthread Covenant embedded themselves deep within the Expanse, relying on ancient threadpaths and Spireward rituals to remain concealed. The Concord responded with surgical precision, deploying Vowguard strike bands, Unwoven agents, and Threadwright diplomats to contain, undermine, and ultimately eliminate the rebellion.
Efforts were made to prevent open warfare, but metaphysical shockwaves forced rapid mobilization across five fronts.
Battlefield
The primary battlefield was the eastern spiral sector of The Shatterdeep Expanse, particularly around the unstable plateau known as Vaelglass Rise. Other fronts included:
- The Spiral Causeway near Virelin’s Step
- Umbrenor’s River Loom Route (used for smuggling)
- Selendral’s Ghostplain Threshold (ritual summoning ground)
Conditions
Environmental hazards were constant. The Shatterdeep reacted violently to prolonged presence:
- Time anomalies disoriented entire battalions
- Spontaneous weather events rewrote terrain mid-skirmish
- Phantasmic projections caused confusion and false flag conflicts
- Magical fatigue and grief-induced madness plagued both sides
The Engagement
The war featured a mix of arcane duels, Sashweave memory hacking, and thread-linked sabotage. The final engagement occurred in late 271 DV, at the Spiral Mouth, where the Covenant attempted a mass ritual to resurrect the Loom of Accord.
The Concord, led by First Binder Miren Thalyron, initiated the Sevenfold Severance, a coordinated metaphysical counter-rite. This act disrupted the ritual and shattered the Covenant’s protective threadweave, unraveling the enclave and sealing the Expanse from future ritual occupation.
Outcome
Aftermath
- The Concord has not been reactivated since
- The Shatterdeep remains forbidden by magical law and social taboo
- Survivors of the Ashthread Covenant became wandering radicals, blamed for leyline flare-ups
- Trust in Thalrani neutrality was weakened; diaspora faced renewed suspicion
- The Laws of Last Loom were copied into hidden sanctums across Elaris “just in case”
Historical Significance
Though documented by diaspora Loomscryers, no single account of the war agrees on exact casualties or battle timelines. Records were purposefully “unwritten” in certain places to prevent exploitation. The war is preserved mainly in song, myth, and coded Sashweaves.Legacy
The Severance War is remembered as the moment the Thalrani nearly tore themselves apart again. It is also seen as proof of their capacity for painful unity. Annual Silence Ceremonies are held at Virelin’s Step in remembrance. The Sevenfold Severance Rite is now considered forbidden magic.
In Literature
The conflict is memorialized in:
- “The Silent Knot”, an epic cycle of elegies sung in memory circles
- “Seven Threads Torn”, a banned philosophical treatise from Selendral
- “The Loom Fell Backwards”, a children’s tale about choosing memory over ambition
Technological Advancement
The Severance War pushed Sashweave applications to their limits:
- Emotion-responsive armaments were tested and later outlawed
- Thread-mirroring (copying a person’s emotional signature) was pioneered
- Unwoven encryption systems were created—still in use by hidden Loomvaults
- Entire fields of ritual interference magic were born from battlefield necessity
Threads pulled too tight must break, or bind anew.
Conflict Type
Civil War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
268 DV
Ending Date
271 DV
Conflict Result
Decisive Concord victory; the Shatterdeep was permanently sealed
Belligerents
Concord of Threaded Vow
Led by
Strength
Estimated 12,000 Threadsworn (Vowguard, Unwoven, Threadwrights)
~6,000 ritualists, weavers, and guerrilla defenders
Casualties
~1,500 confirmed dead; ~2,000 magically erased or memory-lost
~5,000 confirmed dead or unraveled; hundreds vanished or merged into the Shatterdeep
Objectives
- Prevent ritual reawakening of Myriath
- Preserve diaspora unity
- Stop instability within the Shatterdeep
- Reclaim Myriath’s heartland
- Resurrect the Loom of Accord
- Create a permanent Thalrani homeland
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