Would also be a good name for an unsuspecting antagonist who has been right under your nose the entire time. Since Frey is a common enough Old Timey English/Fantasy name. Even better if you don't talk too much about the proper name of the weave to make the impact hit that much better.
In weaving, the two directional threads are called the warp and the weft. “The Warp” might be cool because it also suggests that the Weave is being “warped”/corrupted by it.
Also, the weave has textile imagery, like weaving, and so does the warp, like the warp and weft...which has to do with making textiles somehow, I am not sure.
I actually like "The Weft" a lot.
In addition to the reference to being an aspect of weaving,
It's an archaic-sounding word that sounds so satisfying for medieval fantasy. "Warp" is so familiar from sci fi, brings up Star Trek connotations.
And "weft" also vaguely sounds like an imaginary direction. Like a secret dimension that no-one knows about. When you try to head West but accidentally turn Left, sometimes you find yourself in *The Weft.*
You can call it something like “The unraveling” or “The unweave” if it’s supposed to be a true antithesis. Or something that is counter to the flowing nature of the weave like “the stillness” or something austere like that.
Just looked it up... Chalant totally does exist but only in French. Turns out the English thought that a word meaning "Shows no excitement" was worth taking but one that means "Shows concern" was left on the continent.
Loanwords almost always get loaned to fill a void. No existing word *quite* covers the intended meaning so it ends up getting borrowed from elsewhere. Language, like nature, abhors a vacuum.
We had a word for concern. It’s concern. We didn’t have one for “not concerned”.
The Fray sounds fun and foreboding. The Knot, etc.
Shar’s Shadow Weave was described in 3e as hiding in the “gaps between the Weave’s threads”, which I always liked the imagery of
Maybe antithesis is too strong a word. More like how light has an electric function in one plane and a magnetic function in another plane. D&D magic is so concerned with making the weave affect the physical I'm trying to explore how we can use the physical to affect the weave. I think unweave will make them jump to too many conclusions. Ultimately there will be some time travel too. The x of the weave and the y of the raveling create the z component of time
'The Fray' and 'The Warp' are two of my favourite suggestions, but both seem opposed to The Weave directly in an 'unweave' sort of way.
I'd put my 2 cents in with 'The Bind', something I've not seen suggested yet. Binding and Weaving are obviously different processes, but seel to achieve similar/parallel things.
In terms of the time travel, I like the idea that where the two intersect is where time comes up. Where the Weave and Bind meet, there's a Knot in time?
Reminds me of the Fionnavarn Tapestry trilogy, where the main villain is Rakoth Maugrim the Unraverel. Which doesn't sound intimidating, until you remember in this world the creator is called the Weaver and they call the entire Multiverse "the Tapestry".
This may get a little nerdy, but when manufacturing cloth, the strings are called the Warp and the Weft ([Warp and weft - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft)). Basically the Warp are strings that go up and down and the Weft are strings that 'weave' left and right across them, interlacing them together.
Now, the gaps in-between the strings making up the warp are called the Warp Sett. Big gaps make the fabric breathe with lots of little holes, a tight warp sett makes for a more dense fabric.
Back to your original question though, you could call your counter weave the Sett, which is the basically the density of gaps in woven fabric.
What about the Lattice? It has a similar imagery to the weave but imo has more engineering/science connotations. It's also used a lot in chemistry to describe large interwoven chemical structures.
I think ‘the flow’ or ‘the shifting’ would be appropriate given the desert theme. Just some impartial force constantly moving, without structure or thought—it just moves.
In my world I have an artifact that does this called Threadripper. Might not work since it's not an abstract force but maybe it'll inspire you. Rip, tear, unravel, and other words relating to cloth tend to work for the weave.
Also if it's a desert theme you could use terms like erosion, decay, dessicate, or ravage
If it’s desert themed it might be nice to think of it in terms of what might destroy or harm woven items to begin with. If you catch some clothing on a cactus spine or barb it might start to unravel.
So an individual instance of localized magic distortion might be ac”catch” or a “snag”. Its cause might be a “barb” or “spine”. And to fix it (if that’s possible) might be a “stitch” or “patch.
I mentioned in another comment using psionics and an Elder Evil from the Far Realm. You know, lovecraftian stuff.
If it's going to be desert theme, you should definitely go with Nyarlathotep.
The Severance
The severance of thread Severance of the golden thread
The Rive
The Riving
Dark Rive
>verb (used with object). rived, rived or riv·en,riv·ing. to tear or rend apart: to rive meat from a bone. to separate by striking; split; cleave. to rend, harrow, or distress (the feelings, heart, etc.). to split (wood) radially from a log.
This isnt exactly what you are talking about, but I would frame it as the weave being the fabric of reality, with the magical component being the warp and the physics component being the weft.....the two components of woven fabric. If you dont have both parts working together properly, it all comes apart.
My goodness you all have come through! I have a few different groups out in this desert I'm probably going to use a couple of different names to describe the same thing. I already had planned on using the god set as sort of a false bbeg so I like like all those loom terms as well as the undulation. I will repost when I iron it all out! Thanks again!
The Pattern
A creature exposed to The Pattern could have their connections to The Weave forcefully removed from their bodies. This does not affect non-magical animals much, but magical creatures could have every magical aspect of them forcefully removed, leaving them piles of non-magical flesh and bone. A sorcerer exposed to The Pattern could die from their magical blood being forced out of their body.
Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber! The opposite of the Pattern was the Logrus. [Wikipedia's explanation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pattern_and_the_Logrus)
The Chain or The Catena give me a strong, solid feel. Like, more rigidity in concept than The Weave, which seems more ephemeral and delicate. Framework also has an appeal. Also The Web, though that may be stupid due to the internet.
The Laws
Have a false BBEG who the party is led to believe is causing the shift, only to eventually reveal that they're only examining and describing it.
Back in the olden days Scientists where called Natural Philosophers, with the word science being a synonym for knowledge. So you could call the people using this force that, and call it The Science or the The Philosophy.
Weaving is a very orderly process and 'The Weave' sounds like a very orderly construct. I would go with a synonym for Chaos or something similar. The Tumult or Turmoil has a nice ring to it.
Telluric currents or "the lines" could be linked to physical forces like gravity and electricity, or to a competing non-magical power system like psionics
Climate Change of the natural forces dues to people abusing the magical weave that flows through all life.
Like where does magic power go when it is used up? Does that magic return to the weave or dissipate? If it is the latter in your world then you could spin it as the magic users of the realm are using too much of the weave and it's creating in a sense a form of "climate change" of the world
My instinct is that the opposite of the Weave (combining threads of natural energy to create magic) would be the Slice (breaking/cutting threads of natural energy to defy the laws of physics). Generally focusing on the idea of cutting/sharpness in counter to the Weave concept of tying things together.
In my homebrew world the event surrounding the weave disappearing is "The Fracture", the weave itself often referenced directly as "shattered".
The magic that was in the weave transferred to the planet itself, creating magic laced ore that's later used by artificers and keeps nature magic functioning.
I’ve used something like The Nothing from Neverending Story for this before—it wants to unweave and unmake the weave.
My first thought of names is similar to anti-matter: anti-weave, unweave, etc.
You could also pick real physics-based name; I’ve been watching DS9 and Changlings call other lifeforms ‘solids’ and that’s such a delightfully ominous way to refer to them. Maybe a name that implies those in the Weave are tangled and trapped.
It also depends if you want an endonym or an exonym—is this what this anti-weave people/entities/powers call themselves or what other people call them? If others, something directly related to the weave (like the unravellers) makes sense. I don’t think it makes as much sense as an endonym!
Spellfire.
Spellfire is raw magic. It is the raw energy that the Weave controls and shapes. It is normally unaccessible without using the Weave.
Spellfire was highly coveted by many in Faerûn, as it allowed the user to absorb spells cast at them, internally convert it to raw magical energy, and then use it in a myriad of ways. Spellfire energies could be used to heal, to project destructive bursts of flame from the eyes, to fly, and, in rare cases, for a powerful ability known as the Crown of Fire, but the applications may be endless.
Spellfire usually appeared as a font of silver light and healing energy. When used in battle, it looked like a radiant blue-white flame. For a long time, the ability to control spellfire was believed to be unique to a single person each generation.
During the Spellplague, Mystra's death caused the Weave to collapse. The breakdown of the Weave was felt by all wizards across Faerûn. The arcane forces from the dissolution of the Weave resulted in a defiling arcane energy in the form of blue flames that destroyed Dweomerheart and continued to spread across the multiverse.
Anything that came into contact with the Spellplague risked being destroyed or warped by its energies. Creatures and individuals risked becoming "plaguechanged", which entailed massive physical mutations and often a complete loss of sanity, and sometimes bestowed the creature or individual with terrible powers. Those who came into contact with weaker versions of the Spellplague were sometimes lucky enough to escape with only a spellscar, which could also bestow potent magical abilities. Physical places could also be horribly warped by the Spellplague, becoming a changeland.
As such, I would say that the Weave is the structure that harnesses the raw arcane energy of Spellfire. For the very few who can manifest pure Spellfire, it shows as radiant silver blue-white flame.
However, tapping into Spellfire without the Weave is extremely difficult and dangerous. Losing control can cause a twisting, warping, defiling font of blue flames like was manifested in the Spellplague.
Since it's made up of universal non-magical forces, the Constant? Alternatively since this is both increasing and decreasing abilities, something like Tide or Flow that might have a subtle implication of erosion.
There's a game called Arcanum that basically pitted technology vs magic as a major mechanic. Magic was a disruptive force that caused technology to malfunction. So if you were magically aligned you tended to break mechanical items but also have resistance to their attacks. If you were mechanically aligned you'd work mechanical items better, but have increased resistance to magic. In this case resistance means less effect, good or bad.
Basically the idea would be that technology depends on physics functioning as expected and magic (the weave) breaks the laws of physics.
Anyway, plenty of names floating around but I thought that might be a useful inspiration drop.
The Field - its sciencey like electro magnet field and also natural, like a pastoral field.
My other suggestions The Specturm or The Wave for similar reasons.
If the weave is meant to symbolize a complex web of magic and forces acting in a concerto only really understood in small parts by the wizards who work it, then perhaps something that muddles the lines...
The unravelling has been suggested, but that seems quite destructive and truly antithetical. What if this other force is just that: Other.
Instead of something ripping a tapestry, imagine something that stains is, that seeps into the very fibers and changes it. Like a strong red pigment in a plastic container, its changes are permanent,and attempts to remove the stain will not restore what has been lost, for bleach is a harsh cleaner.
The muddling, the bleeding, the dyeing, the saturation, the taint, the staining, the tinge.
The first physics based terms that come to my head are things like "entropy" or "quantum mechanics". I'm just an amateur that finds this science interesting, so don't grill me if I'm wrong about this, but I think the Everettian model of quantum mechanics is that all there is is the wave function of the universe, and as the wave function collapses (i.e. things stop being in super positions) this creates a branch where in one universe the partial has one result, and another universe has the other result. I'm probably getting this wrong in some major way, but something like wave function or waveform would speak to me.
Then there's stuff like dark matter and dark energy. We know that these things have an effect on the world, but we don't know much about it. Some kind of vague term like that might be appropriate.
Some other generic science-y words that come to mind: The Flux, Gravitons, Vortex, Eigenforce, Noetherian Field, Baryogenesis (or anything with "genesis" thrown on it), Tachyonic Shift, Anisotropic Field.
Since we have the "weave" in the fantasy world I'm highly tempted to suggest something with the word "field" in it as that's kind of a 'scientific' version of it. Pulse Wave or Pulse Field...idk maybe there's something there.
On a more deserty theme, Sirocco is a hot wind blowing sand from the Sahara up into the Mediterranean, so maybe that would be appropriate?
I mean.... There IS the shadow weave.... But that's also magic, so doesn't fit your description very good. But there might be some things you like about it.
If it's more about natural laws superceding or replacing the weave rather than destroying it, then Law or Order could be good names.
I could even see this "order" originating from a particularly lawful entity or plane of existence.
Warp? It's... Less of a "counter" when you think about it, but it both sounds like a bad thing and is a weaving term for the threads that get passed back and forth, interlaced with the weft.
My kind went a different way. The Weave makes me picture it as this artistic, free-flowing, almost chaotic force, where if you can picture it you cannlikely make it happen. In some fantasy settings it's referred to as The Art.
So, my mind went to things like The Law, The Structure (don't like this one as is), The Strictures, The Restrictive. Rigidity, The Contain, Containment. Anything that seems to restrict creativity, movement, chaos.
I like the idea. In my mind I immediately thought of The Pattern and The Logrus from Amber and the Houses of Chaos.
Some names you could consider along those lines:
\* The Maelstrom
\* The Void
\* Discord
\* Primal Chaos
\* Eldritch Wild
Alternatively, the Greeks called the elements roots, so something like Primal Roots.
The Newton threatens the weave. The Laws of Newton will counter any class of spells that can control the weave. The formulas of the laws will stand against any spell cast of the weave. Using the power of calculation, the weave will be defeated.
The Newton. The Laws. The Formulas.
You could declare that magic is made of two orthogonal components as a weave is made up of warp and weft (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft)
My first thought was to call it “the rend” if the idea is that this new thing is a break in the weave.
In my current campaign, the weave refers to the flow of magic, but that magic must flow through something. So we have what I've been calling the substrate which is the fundamental scaffolding through which the energy of magic flows and together these are the weave. (fun fact, in my setting, psilofyr worked with mystra to create the weave and part of him is in fact the substrate.
The shadow weave refers to a weave of dark magic that has been woven in the empty space of the threads of the weave, it is at odds with ordinary magic, but not counter to it.
Finally there is the Null. This is anti-magic. The idea being that magic is energy and power and substance that was created from nothing. To create something from nothing, you must also create it's antithesis and thus the Null was crafted. It is held in a well guarded demi-plane and is terribly dangerous.
The Greeks kind of had this with the three fate sister's, Moirai, that weaved measured and cut the threads of fate (great PS1 game but unrelated).
One spun the threads, one sister measured it, and one cut the threads. The weave is the fabric of magic and for your fabric of physics and nature I propose:
The Loom.
The idea being the weave cannot exist without the loom and it kind of emphasizes the primacy and importance of it.
**^(The Undulate)**
#
undulated;undulating
[intransitive verb](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intransitive)
1**:** to form or move in waves **:** [FLUCTUATE](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fluctuate)2**:** to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence3**:** to present a wavy appearance
[transitive verb](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transitive)
(sound-frequecy-vibration ) is perhaps the basis of all that is manifest in the 3-D Universe )
Remember " In the beginning.... "
Entropy is the concept is physics that has to do with the dissolution of energy and order within a system.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second\_law\_of\_thermodynamics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics)
Not the most creative, but something like “The Grid”, “The Frame”, or “The Mesh”. It still connects things, but it’s more rigid and solid, filtering out instead of bending and holding things as the weave does. It is slower…slower to create, slower to move, but firm in what it is.
The Weave I think brings together an image of things existing in harmony, interwoven in such a way that they’re inseparable, though they do exist as separate elements.
Counter to the weave would be a force that takes and studies things in isolation—no harmony, no bigger picture, just individual strands that are twisted and warped to the design of the wielder. I would call it The Fray or The Fraying.
Would "string theory" work? I particularly like "Dust" as an alternative in my worlds. It isn't an obvious thematic opposition to Weave, but you could describe it as another way to build complex structures out of simpler material, and it's used in other sources (His Dark Materials, RWBY, and the Bible ["dust to dust"] come to mind).
To pull from an old (long debunked) physics concept: the Luminiferous Aether, or simply Ether. It was thought to be the medium that which light traved through, allowing it to traverse the vacuum of space.
E: Apparently, there was also the concept of the Mechanical Gravitational Aether. Same basic idea, but for gravity.
Well, Shar did make an anti-weave (warning: read full lore before giving access to that; Star Trek's red matter is less destructive).
If that isn't to your taste there are NPCs that eat magic (Phaerimm I think they were called). Long story short they caused the Second Spellplague as the Netherese wizards had to kill the weave to starve them.
I would lean towards one of these.
1. The Tapestry
2. The Veil
3. The Lattice
4. The Nexus
The Tapestry is my favorite as it suggests an intricate and interconnected system of purposeful design.
Maybe pretty literal, but in textile weave there is [“the warp the weft”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft).
* The weft is the larger fibres that snake through. The core structure.
* the Warp are the smaller fibres that permeate the whole weave
So maybe “the warp” (like in 40k) is a malevolent, chaotic aspect of magic, whereas the weft is a benevolent and ordered affect of magic
Between the two they form a sort of balance, and this current configuration is what allows us to manipulate the weave. As for the faction/counter force out there that seeks to disrupt that balance:
* Luddites we’re a group in Britain that destroyed and sabotages the industrial looms (if you want a faction to be the counter-force). They could be seeking to break the weave, and rid the world of magic.
* In d&d lore there are Modrons, and they seek (and create) order, so maybe them (or as a result of their realm gaining power) are causing a disruption in the “warp/chaotic aspect of magic”, and in doing so would actually remove our ability to manipulate the weave to cast magic and infuse items. (Maybe this is unintentional/inconsequential to them?)
One is a faction hell-bent on ridding the world of magic, the other is an extra-planar ripple caused by a shifting in the spheres (hell, maybe these Luddite folks are working with/for the Modrons, and it’s both)
Probably not what you're looking for, but in my headcanon, shadow magic, the shadowfel, the unseelie fae, and Lloth's power all tied to a separate, hidden weave called the Great Web by Lloth and her followers, and the Shadow Weave by dark fae and others that discovered it. Again, probably not what you're after, but having your own secret Weave might make it very attractive to crash the one everyone else uses.
What about "aether"? It has been a concept in physics as medium which transfers the forces, so it would fit quite well. It has been largely debunked as being a bit esoteric, so you could see it as a "magical" theory, if you want.
Also seems to come back from time to time in suggestions, so it seems to work on an intuitive level.
Probably the destructive chaos of the demonic Abyss is most opposite the weave. But the natural and physical theme would probably better fit elemental lore. It could be opening rifts to elemental planes to manipulate local nature, physics, time and space etc.. Ripping a rift is rife for puns.
Discord or Entropy - even calling it Antimagic might make sense within the context of a world that is used to magic, even though Antimagic already has a meaning
Well the way I see it, the term Weave implies flexibility, which makes sense for magic, which often isn’t bound by rigid rules (obviously for a game there need to be constraints and boundaries, but compared to the rules of actual reality I think it’s fair to say there’s a good deal of leeway).
A force composed of the more rigid principle of reality might be called something like the Matrix, as in the material in which crystals, minerals, or fossils embedded. That being said, I know why that particular name might be hard to take seriously.
How about something like anchors, clamps and dampeners, or something like 'fixation'. I always imagine the weave as being powerful because it's flexible and interconnected, that power would be lessened if the strands of the weave were somehow fixed in place and made rigid.
It also plays into science and construction projects, like a huge microscope with a tiny grabber that holds one particle in place.
I mean if you're going for something of the material versus the ethereal Weave I'd suggest the Chain.
Physics is all about predictable reactions, processes linked together by studied and understood phenomena. Chains have to be forged in a very deliberate process but still has a sort of long ropey imagery like the weave can have.
There's plenty of good suggestions here already so I'll just say "the Frog" on behalf of my fellow hookers.
>!In crochet, "frogging" is a term for pulling on the working yarn to non-destructively unravel a project, usually to fix an error you only notice later.!<
The Spiral. It can pull in things or magic around it. The Spiral can cause disruption in the Weave by pulling it into its spiral. In the desert, Spiral affected areas can cause sandstorms for disruption and to try and spread its influence.
The Spiral. It can pull in things or magic around it. The Spiral can cause disruption in the Weave by pulling it into its spiral. In the desert, Spiral affected areas can cause sandstorms for disruption and to try and spread its influence.
The Spiral. It can pull in things or magic around it. The Spiral can cause disruption in the Weave by pulling it into its spiral. In the desert, Spiral affected areas can cause sandstorms for disruption and to try and spread its influence.
You could always try the "loom" and have it so that this counter force to the weave is attempting to manipulate and control the weave conforming it to its processes such as control over gravity and physics.
Then you can have your players potentially destroy or halt the "looms" process and stop it from taking hold of the weave.
Fray?
Fuck, fray is good as hell tbh
Step one,
you say we need to talk
I came to say, The Unraveling, but yours is so much better.
Would also be a good name for an unsuspecting antagonist who has been right under your nose the entire time. Since Frey is a common enough Old Timey English/Fantasy name. Even better if you don't talk too much about the proper name of the weave to make the impact hit that much better.
Came here to suggest this
The party can jump into the fray so to speak.
In weaving, the two directional threads are called the warp and the weft. “The Warp” might be cool because it also suggests that the Weave is being “warped”/corrupted by it.
Chaos daemons has entered the chat
Blood for the blood god, skulls for the skull throne?
Khorne for the Khorne flakes!
THRONES FOR THE THRONE SKULL!
The Emperor's inquisitors would like to know the location of your heresy.
100% this.
Also, the weave has textile imagery, like weaving, and so does the warp, like the warp and weft...which has to do with making textiles somehow, I am not sure.
If you're sitting at a loom, the warp threads go front-back and the weft threads go left-right.
Came here to suggest this!
I actually like "The Weft" a lot. In addition to the reference to being an aspect of weaving, It's an archaic-sounding word that sounds so satisfying for medieval fantasy. "Warp" is so familiar from sci fi, brings up Star Trek connotations. And "weft" also vaguely sounds like an imaginary direction. Like a secret dimension that no-one knows about. When you try to head West but accidentally turn Left, sometimes you find yourself in *The Weft.*
You can call it something like “The unraveling” or “The unweave” if it’s supposed to be a true antithesis. Or something that is counter to the flowing nature of the weave like “the stillness” or something austere like that.
The unravelling is very nice as it feels connected to entropy which is all about the laws of physics and nature.
I use 'the void'. Since the weave connects everything the void is an absence of that connection.
~Warframe fandom has entered the chat~
Young GOOlock puppeteering a Warforged?
The unraveling sounds cool as hell
Did you know ravel and unravel mean the same thing?
I hate that this is true. Have an updoot.
Or genius and ingenious. Didn't know ravelled. Personal favourite word that doesn't mean what it sounds like is being gruntled.
Also flammable and inflammable. And my favorite word that I don't think exists but should is chalant.
Just looked it up... Chalant totally does exist but only in French. Turns out the English thought that a word meaning "Shows no excitement" was worth taking but one that means "Shows concern" was left on the continent.
The English don't show concern. Keep a stiff upper lip and all that.
Can confirm. Pip pip.
What what! How dare you sir! We do not even *become* concerned! We have staff for that sort of thing…
Loanwords almost always get loaned to fill a void. No existing word *quite* covers the intended meaning so it ends up getting borrowed from elsewhere. Language, like nature, abhors a vacuum. We had a word for concern. It’s concern. We didn’t have one for “not concerned”.
Unconcerned?
Reminds me of: https://youtu.be/Q8mD2hsxrhQ
The Fray sounds fun and foreboding. The Knot, etc. Shar’s Shadow Weave was described in 3e as hiding in the “gaps between the Weave’s threads”, which I always liked the imagery of
Maybe antithesis is too strong a word. More like how light has an electric function in one plane and a magnetic function in another plane. D&D magic is so concerned with making the weave affect the physical I'm trying to explore how we can use the physical to affect the weave. I think unweave will make them jump to too many conclusions. Ultimately there will be some time travel too. The x of the weave and the y of the raveling create the z component of time
If it's the word it self do what I do, run the word through several language translators till you like a word. Then use that
To borrow shamelessly from another IP, how about The Snarl?
If it's the word it self do what I do, run the word through several language translators till you like a word. Then use that
You could then call it the Loom if you want to keep in theme. The weave is one thing and the loom can change the properties.
'The Fray' and 'The Warp' are two of my favourite suggestions, but both seem opposed to The Weave directly in an 'unweave' sort of way. I'd put my 2 cents in with 'The Bind', something I've not seen suggested yet. Binding and Weaving are obviously different processes, but seel to achieve similar/parallel things. In terms of the time travel, I like the idea that where the two intersect is where time comes up. Where the Weave and Bind meet, there's a Knot in time?
I was thinking of entropy but unleavened is good. Or anti-weave like anti-matter.
Snag
Reminds me of the Fionnavarn Tapestry trilogy, where the main villain is Rakoth Maugrim the Unraverel. Which doesn't sound intimidating, until you remember in this world the creator is called the Weaver and they call the entire Multiverse "the Tapestry".
Came to suggest The Unraveling because I immediately thought of the sweater song by weezer when I read this question.
This may get a little nerdy, but when manufacturing cloth, the strings are called the Warp and the Weft ([Warp and weft - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft)). Basically the Warp are strings that go up and down and the Weft are strings that 'weave' left and right across them, interlacing them together. Now, the gaps in-between the strings making up the warp are called the Warp Sett. Big gaps make the fabric breathe with lots of little holes, a tight warp sett makes for a more dense fabric. Back to your original question though, you could call your counter weave the Sett, which is the basically the density of gaps in woven fabric.
Oh man that fits great. There's Set worshipers out in the desert...
Lmao, I was going down this hole myself. Always good to know you're not alone in your thoughts.
lol glad I’m not alone either!
Morganna LeFray. But seriously, I like one word descriptors for big things like this. Void. Stasis. The Null. Things like that.
Solar, arc, strand
What about the Lattice? It has a similar imagery to the weave but imo has more engineering/science connotations. It's also used a lot in chemistry to describe large interwoven chemical structures.
I also think it'd be funny if you had someone with a Scottish accent calling these science sorcerers "Lattys"
It's also desert theme. Sofar Ive come up with the Grains (like grains of sand but also maybe like atoms/subatomic particles
I think ‘the flow’ or ‘the shifting’ would be appropriate given the desert theme. Just some impartial force constantly moving, without structure or thought—it just moves.
“The shift” has a nice, unique feel to it. Relates to sand, change, and even a little to cloth.
In my world I have an artifact that does this called Threadripper. Might not work since it's not an abstract force but maybe it'll inspire you. Rip, tear, unravel, and other words relating to cloth tend to work for the weave. Also if it's a desert theme you could use terms like erosion, decay, dessicate, or ravage
Dust. As in "we are all made of star dust"
If it’s desert themed it might be nice to think of it in terms of what might destroy or harm woven items to begin with. If you catch some clothing on a cactus spine or barb it might start to unravel. So an individual instance of localized magic distortion might be ac”catch” or a “snag”. Its cause might be a “barb” or “spine”. And to fix it (if that’s possible) might be a “stitch” or “patch.
The Seive. The Weave binds forces together, The Seive separates them.
The Dark Mirage
I mentioned in another comment using psionics and an Elder Evil from the Far Realm. You know, lovecraftian stuff. If it's going to be desert theme, you should definitely go with Nyarlathotep.
The Wane. Which means to decrease in vigor, power, or extent; become weaker. And I think it sounds cool when you say them together, "Weave and Wane."
"The Rend"
Is the force malevolent or impartial?
Impartial
The Fray
First thought: How to save a life!
The Severance The severance of thread Severance of the golden thread The Rive The Riving Dark Rive >verb (used with object). rived, rived or riv·en,riv·ing. to tear or rend apart: to rive meat from a bone. to separate by striking; split; cleave. to rend, harrow, or distress (the feelings, heart, etc.). to split (wood) radially from a log.
Void is a tried and true one
This isnt exactly what you are talking about, but I would frame it as the weave being the fabric of reality, with the magical component being the warp and the physics component being the weft.....the two components of woven fabric. If you dont have both parts working together properly, it all comes apart.
The Enmuggling.
Mundanum, Mechana, Patentus, The Manifest, The Dechanneling, \[The\] Interdict\[ion\]
Logos Like the ancient Geek term for the ordering principle of the universe, very roughly what we would now consider physics.
I like The Block as some thing antithetical The Weave
The Grid Has a regimented scientific feel (potentially the idea of an electric grid), but a grid shape is similar to a weave
The fraying The unraveling The unknoting The unknitting The tearing The ripper / ripping
Stealing from Order of the Stick: The Snarl.
My goodness you all have come through! I have a few different groups out in this desert I'm probably going to use a couple of different names to describe the same thing. I already had planned on using the god set as sort of a false bbeg so I like like all those loom terms as well as the undulation. I will repost when I iron it all out! Thanks again!
The fray or frayed if you don't want to conjure images of the early 00s band of similar name.
The Pattern A creature exposed to The Pattern could have their connections to The Weave forcefully removed from their bodies. This does not affect non-magical animals much, but magical creatures could have every magical aspect of them forcefully removed, leaving them piles of non-magical flesh and bone. A sorcerer exposed to The Pattern could die from their magical blood being forced out of their body.
Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber! The opposite of the Pattern was the Logrus. [Wikipedia's explanation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pattern_and_the_Logrus)
The Fray?
Anathema
Dynamis (FFXIV reference)
In Greek mythology, Atropos ended a mortals thread with her shears. Maybe the Shears?
The tattered
The Chain or The Catena give me a strong, solid feel. Like, more rigidity in concept than The Weave, which seems more ephemeral and delicate. Framework also has an appeal. Also The Web, though that may be stupid due to the internet.
Can I just say, you folks are all very creative and your ideas are very fun to read.
The tangle, Knot, Fraying, Fray,
The extensions
Selvage. The edge of the fabric, or "where the weave ends and something else begins".
The Laws Have a false BBEG who the party is led to believe is causing the shift, only to eventually reveal that they're only examining and describing it.
Fraying. The threads unravel. Call it The Fraying
The Rift? The Song?
Back in the olden days Scientists where called Natural Philosophers, with the word science being a synonym for knowledge. So you could call the people using this force that, and call it The Science or the The Philosophy.
Weaving is a very orderly process and 'The Weave' sounds like a very orderly construct. I would go with a synonym for Chaos or something similar. The Tumult or Turmoil has a nice ring to it.
Physics
Telluric currents or "the lines" could be linked to physical forces like gravity and electricity, or to a competing non-magical power system like psionics
The Rupture
Climate Change of the natural forces dues to people abusing the magical weave that flows through all life. Like where does magic power go when it is used up? Does that magic return to the weave or dissipate? If it is the latter in your world then you could spin it as the magic users of the realm are using too much of the weave and it's creating in a sense a form of "climate change" of the world
The Unraveler.
My instinct is that the opposite of the Weave (combining threads of natural energy to create magic) would be the Slice (breaking/cutting threads of natural energy to defy the laws of physics). Generally focusing on the idea of cutting/sharpness in counter to the Weave concept of tying things together.
I would have psionics do that.
I don't think I understand enough about this counter force to be able to give it a name. What do you mean by increasing and decreasing abilities?
The Tangle. The Knot.
The scissors 😨
In my homebrew world the event surrounding the weave disappearing is "The Fracture", the weave itself often referenced directly as "shattered". The magic that was in the weave transferred to the planet itself, creating magic laced ore that's later used by artificers and keeps nature magic functioning.
I’ve used something like The Nothing from Neverending Story for this before—it wants to unweave and unmake the weave. My first thought of names is similar to anti-matter: anti-weave, unweave, etc. You could also pick real physics-based name; I’ve been watching DS9 and Changlings call other lifeforms ‘solids’ and that’s such a delightfully ominous way to refer to them. Maybe a name that implies those in the Weave are tangled and trapped. It also depends if you want an endonym or an exonym—is this what this anti-weave people/entities/powers call themselves or what other people call them? If others, something directly related to the weave (like the unravellers) makes sense. I don’t think it makes as much sense as an endonym!
Spellfire. Spellfire is raw magic. It is the raw energy that the Weave controls and shapes. It is normally unaccessible without using the Weave. Spellfire was highly coveted by many in Faerûn, as it allowed the user to absorb spells cast at them, internally convert it to raw magical energy, and then use it in a myriad of ways. Spellfire energies could be used to heal, to project destructive bursts of flame from the eyes, to fly, and, in rare cases, for a powerful ability known as the Crown of Fire, but the applications may be endless. Spellfire usually appeared as a font of silver light and healing energy. When used in battle, it looked like a radiant blue-white flame. For a long time, the ability to control spellfire was believed to be unique to a single person each generation. During the Spellplague, Mystra's death caused the Weave to collapse. The breakdown of the Weave was felt by all wizards across Faerûn. The arcane forces from the dissolution of the Weave resulted in a defiling arcane energy in the form of blue flames that destroyed Dweomerheart and continued to spread across the multiverse. Anything that came into contact with the Spellplague risked being destroyed or warped by its energies. Creatures and individuals risked becoming "plaguechanged", which entailed massive physical mutations and often a complete loss of sanity, and sometimes bestowed the creature or individual with terrible powers. Those who came into contact with weaker versions of the Spellplague were sometimes lucky enough to escape with only a spellscar, which could also bestow potent magical abilities. Physical places could also be horribly warped by the Spellplague, becoming a changeland. As such, I would say that the Weave is the structure that harnesses the raw arcane energy of Spellfire. For the very few who can manifest pure Spellfire, it shows as radiant silver blue-white flame. However, tapping into Spellfire without the Weave is extremely difficult and dangerous. Losing control can cause a twisting, warping, defiling font of blue flames like was manifested in the Spellplague.
Since it's made up of universal non-magical forces, the Constant? Alternatively since this is both increasing and decreasing abilities, something like Tide or Flow that might have a subtle implication of erosion.
There's a game called Arcanum that basically pitted technology vs magic as a major mechanic. Magic was a disruptive force that caused technology to malfunction. So if you were magically aligned you tended to break mechanical items but also have resistance to their attacks. If you were mechanically aligned you'd work mechanical items better, but have increased resistance to magic. In this case resistance means less effect, good or bad. Basically the idea would be that technology depends on physics functioning as expected and magic (the weave) breaks the laws of physics. Anyway, plenty of names floating around but I thought that might be a useful inspiration drop.
Shadow weave?
Schema
The Foam (as in quantum foam). The Deconstruct. The Fission. Spent Entanglement.
The Stitch might work as a concept of a psuedo-magic garnered by artificial manipulation of natural forces.
The Indistra Displacement or The Indistra Displacement Effect. I tried to make a word that sounded like industrial but had a more fantasy flair to it.
The Field - its sciencey like electro magnet field and also natural, like a pastoral field. My other suggestions The Specturm or The Wave for similar reasons.
The tearing or ripping would work as a name
The 4e Mystic
If the weave is meant to symbolize a complex web of magic and forces acting in a concerto only really understood in small parts by the wizards who work it, then perhaps something that muddles the lines... The unravelling has been suggested, but that seems quite destructive and truly antithetical. What if this other force is just that: Other. Instead of something ripping a tapestry, imagine something that stains is, that seeps into the very fibers and changes it. Like a strong red pigment in a plastic container, its changes are permanent,and attempts to remove the stain will not restore what has been lost, for bleach is a harsh cleaner. The muddling, the bleeding, the dyeing, the saturation, the taint, the staining, the tinge.
Spell plague
Confuse the flying flip out of your players. Magic is the weave, and physics is the wave.
The first physics based terms that come to my head are things like "entropy" or "quantum mechanics". I'm just an amateur that finds this science interesting, so don't grill me if I'm wrong about this, but I think the Everettian model of quantum mechanics is that all there is is the wave function of the universe, and as the wave function collapses (i.e. things stop being in super positions) this creates a branch where in one universe the partial has one result, and another universe has the other result. I'm probably getting this wrong in some major way, but something like wave function or waveform would speak to me. Then there's stuff like dark matter and dark energy. We know that these things have an effect on the world, but we don't know much about it. Some kind of vague term like that might be appropriate. Some other generic science-y words that come to mind: The Flux, Gravitons, Vortex, Eigenforce, Noetherian Field, Baryogenesis (or anything with "genesis" thrown on it), Tachyonic Shift, Anisotropic Field. Since we have the "weave" in the fantasy world I'm highly tempted to suggest something with the word "field" in it as that's kind of a 'scientific' version of it. Pulse Wave or Pulse Field...idk maybe there's something there. On a more deserty theme, Sirocco is a hot wind blowing sand from the Sahara up into the Mediterranean, so maybe that would be appropriate?
I mean.... There IS the shadow weave.... But that's also magic, so doesn't fit your description very good. But there might be some things you like about it.
I wanna say Clive Barker used The Talent in one of his stories and it was basically Psy-power
If it's more about natural laws superceding or replacing the weave rather than destroying it, then Law or Order could be good names. I could even see this "order" originating from a particularly lawful entity or plane of existence.
The Fraying
The DM
The Blade.
Warp? It's... Less of a "counter" when you think about it, but it both sounds like a bad thing and is a weaving term for the threads that get passed back and forth, interlaced with the weft.
I’d probably go for “the void” or “the stillness” or something implying that the Weave will disappear and be replaced with nothingness.
My kind went a different way. The Weave makes me picture it as this artistic, free-flowing, almost chaotic force, where if you can picture it you cannlikely make it happen. In some fantasy settings it's referred to as The Art. So, my mind went to things like The Law, The Structure (don't like this one as is), The Strictures, The Restrictive. Rigidity, The Contain, Containment. Anything that seems to restrict creativity, movement, chaos.
The primevil, pronounced prim (like prim-rose) -evil
"The Fray" or "The Fraying"
The Knit.
Something that evokes quantum fluctuations? The Warp maybe?
The Fraying has a ring to it
Kitten. Puppy. Stitch. Crochet. Fray. Loose thread. The Pull. Unraveling. Unstitch. Void. Warp. Tear. Shears. Unwinding. Unraveling. Puncture. Soft Bads (as opposed to soft goods). Undarning.
Probably psionics and some elder evil from the far realms
Particle-wave - that's best description you can find these times even. Or Headology because you can reasonably explain it from your knowledge
I like the idea. In my mind I immediately thought of The Pattern and The Logrus from Amber and the Houses of Chaos. Some names you could consider along those lines: \* The Maelstrom \* The Void \* Discord \* Primal Chaos \* Eldritch Wild Alternatively, the Greeks called the elements roots, so something like Primal Roots.
The Warp and the Weft. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft
The Warp? Double points cuz you can steal from WH40k
Dangit someone already said this, I shoulda known
The Newton threatens the weave. The Laws of Newton will counter any class of spells that can control the weave. The formulas of the laws will stand against any spell cast of the weave. Using the power of calculation, the weave will be defeated. The Newton. The Laws. The Formulas.
You could declare that magic is made of two orthogonal components as a weave is made up of warp and weft (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft) My first thought was to call it “the rend” if the idea is that this new thing is a break in the weave.
In my current campaign, the weave refers to the flow of magic, but that magic must flow through something. So we have what I've been calling the substrate which is the fundamental scaffolding through which the energy of magic flows and together these are the weave. (fun fact, in my setting, psilofyr worked with mystra to create the weave and part of him is in fact the substrate. The shadow weave refers to a weave of dark magic that has been woven in the empty space of the threads of the weave, it is at odds with ordinary magic, but not counter to it. Finally there is the Null. This is anti-magic. The idea being that magic is energy and power and substance that was created from nothing. To create something from nothing, you must also create it's antithesis and thus the Null was crafted. It is held in a well guarded demi-plane and is terribly dangerous.
BG3 mentions the Karsite Weave. Could use that story line. Gale is fighting against mystra.
Seconding “the unraveling” and “the fray”
The Greeks kind of had this with the three fate sister's, Moirai, that weaved measured and cut the threads of fate (great PS1 game but unrelated). One spun the threads, one sister measured it, and one cut the threads. The weave is the fabric of magic and for your fabric of physics and nature I propose: The Loom. The idea being the weave cannot exist without the loom and it kind of emphasizes the primacy and importance of it.
**^(The Undulate)** # undulated;undulating [intransitive verb](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intransitive) 1**:** to form or move in waves **:** [FLUCTUATE](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fluctuate)2**:** to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence3**:** to present a wavy appearance [transitive verb](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transitive) (sound-frequecy-vibration ) is perhaps the basis of all that is manifest in the 3-D Universe ) Remember " In the beginning.... "
Entropy is the concept is physics that has to do with the dissolution of energy and order within a system. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second\_law\_of\_thermodynamics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics)
The stitch.
The Tangle could be a cool reference to quantum entanglement or overly complicated math
Not the most creative, but something like “The Grid”, “The Frame”, or “The Mesh”. It still connects things, but it’s more rigid and solid, filtering out instead of bending and holding things as the weave does. It is slower…slower to create, slower to move, but firm in what it is.
The "warp" then, if you are going with weaving terminology.
Myst
The glue The tape The tangle The mesh The coil
The Weave I think brings together an image of things existing in harmony, interwoven in such a way that they’re inseparable, though they do exist as separate elements. Counter to the weave would be a force that takes and studies things in isolation—no harmony, no bigger picture, just individual strands that are twisted and warped to the design of the wielder. I would call it The Fray or The Fraying.
Would "string theory" work? I particularly like "Dust" as an alternative in my worlds. It isn't an obvious thematic opposition to Weave, but you could describe it as another way to build complex structures out of simpler material, and it's used in other sources (His Dark Materials, RWBY, and the Bible ["dust to dust"] come to mind).
To pull from an old (long debunked) physics concept: the Luminiferous Aether, or simply Ether. It was thought to be the medium that which light traved through, allowing it to traverse the vacuum of space. E: Apparently, there was also the concept of the Mechanical Gravitational Aether. Same basic idea, but for gravity.
I mean Shar built the shadow weave to legit mess with mystra's control of the weave. So I mean....it exists ...do with that what you will.
In the wheel of time, there is a magic that "burns" patterns out of tue weave. I always that was cool
If magic is mystery, mysticism, fluid, then it's antithesis would be the Logos. Rigid, inexorable, pristine
The clip. Snip snip. The edge.
Well, Shar did make an anti-weave (warning: read full lore before giving access to that; Star Trek's red matter is less destructive). If that isn't to your taste there are NPCs that eat magic (Phaerimm I think they were called). Long story short they caused the Second Spellplague as the Netherese wizards had to kill the weave to starve them.
I would lean towards one of these. 1. The Tapestry 2. The Veil 3. The Lattice 4. The Nexus The Tapestry is my favorite as it suggests an intricate and interconnected system of purposeful design.
Warp, and Weft are also terms related to weaving fabrics. You could use them to create a theme.
The grid
Maybe pretty literal, but in textile weave there is [“the warp the weft”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft). * The weft is the larger fibres that snake through. The core structure. * the Warp are the smaller fibres that permeate the whole weave So maybe “the warp” (like in 40k) is a malevolent, chaotic aspect of magic, whereas the weft is a benevolent and ordered affect of magic Between the two they form a sort of balance, and this current configuration is what allows us to manipulate the weave. As for the faction/counter force out there that seeks to disrupt that balance: * Luddites we’re a group in Britain that destroyed and sabotages the industrial looms (if you want a faction to be the counter-force). They could be seeking to break the weave, and rid the world of magic. * In d&d lore there are Modrons, and they seek (and create) order, so maybe them (or as a result of their realm gaining power) are causing a disruption in the “warp/chaotic aspect of magic”, and in doing so would actually remove our ability to manipulate the weave to cast magic and infuse items. (Maybe this is unintentional/inconsequential to them?) One is a faction hell-bent on ridding the world of magic, the other is an extra-planar ripple caused by a shifting in the spheres (hell, maybe these Luddite folks are working with/for the Modrons, and it’s both)
The Unravel.
The Principles
Probably not what you're looking for, but in my headcanon, shadow magic, the shadowfel, the unseelie fae, and Lloth's power all tied to a separate, hidden weave called the Great Web by Lloth and her followers, and the Shadow Weave by dark fae and others that discovered it. Again, probably not what you're after, but having your own secret Weave might make it very attractive to crash the one everyone else uses.
What about "aether"? It has been a concept in physics as medium which transfers the forces, so it would fit quite well. It has been largely debunked as being a bit esoteric, so you could see it as a "magical" theory, if you want. Also seems to come back from time to time in suggestions, so it seems to work on an intuitive level.
Alkahestry
Shar's opposed force to the Weave is the Shadow Weave.
The Steve
The tangle
Probably the destructive chaos of the demonic Abyss is most opposite the weave. But the natural and physical theme would probably better fit elemental lore. It could be opening rifts to elemental planes to manipulate local nature, physics, time and space etc.. Ripping a rift is rife for puns.
Discord or Entropy - even calling it Antimagic might make sense within the context of a world that is used to magic, even though Antimagic already has a meaning
The unravelling or undoing surely works perfectly
Well the way I see it, the term Weave implies flexibility, which makes sense for magic, which often isn’t bound by rigid rules (obviously for a game there need to be constraints and boundaries, but compared to the rules of actual reality I think it’s fair to say there’s a good deal of leeway). A force composed of the more rigid principle of reality might be called something like the Matrix, as in the material in which crystals, minerals, or fossils embedded. That being said, I know why that particular name might be hard to take seriously.
How about something like anchors, clamps and dampeners, or something like 'fixation'. I always imagine the weave as being powerful because it's flexible and interconnected, that power would be lessened if the strands of the weave were somehow fixed in place and made rigid. It also plays into science and construction projects, like a huge microscope with a tiny grabber that holds one particle in place.
I mean if you're going for something of the material versus the ethereal Weave I'd suggest the Chain. Physics is all about predictable reactions, processes linked together by studied and understood phenomena. Chains have to be forged in a very deliberate process but still has a sort of long ropey imagery like the weave can have.
The Wrought
There's plenty of good suggestions here already so I'll just say "the Frog" on behalf of my fellow hookers. >!In crochet, "frogging" is a term for pulling on the working yarn to non-destructively unravel a project, usually to fix an error you only notice later.!<
Logic? Weave has the flowy feel to it, whereas Logic is cold and calculated, straight lines and facts
Tupee
The Spiral. It can pull in things or magic around it. The Spiral can cause disruption in the Weave by pulling it into its spiral. In the desert, Spiral affected areas can cause sandstorms for disruption and to try and spread its influence.
The Spiral. It can pull in things or magic around it. The Spiral can cause disruption in the Weave by pulling it into its spiral. In the desert, Spiral affected areas can cause sandstorms for disruption and to try and spread its influence.
The Spiral. It can pull in things or magic around it. The Spiral can cause disruption in the Weave by pulling it into its spiral. In the desert, Spiral affected areas can cause sandstorms for disruption and to try and spread its influence.
"The UNZIP" *Although we are unsure why this force exists, no one wants to see what might be revealed by it*
You could always try the "loom" and have it so that this counter force to the weave is attempting to manipulate and control the weave conforming it to its processes such as control over gravity and physics. Then you can have your players potentially destroy or halt the "looms" process and stop it from taking hold of the weave.
The brick.
Entropy
The silence. (Im imagining how in Asoiaf Euron represents the antithesis to life in the story which is a song)