Triat (World of Darkness)
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In the World of Darkness (primarily in the Werewolf: The Apocalypse line), many of the basic spiritual conflicts arise from the interplay and opposition of the forces of creation, stasis, and destruction. These primal forces are embodied by three super-powerful and multi-faceted spiritual entities: The Wyld (a force of chaotic creation), the Weaver (a force of rigid stasis), and the Wyrm (a force of corrupting destruction). These three form a pantheon called the Triat. Real-world parallels can be drawn with Hindu mythology.
Dwelling in and eternally fighting for control of the Umbra (or spirit world), each member of the Triat stands at the head of a wildly diverse hierarchy of spirts. The Triat also has strong allies and influence among humanity and Earth's supernatural population. The most strongly involved are the Garou and the Changing Breeds, shapeshifters with strong ties to the spirit world. Mages of various factions also find themselves working to further the interests of the Triat (though mages most often view the Triat as primal forces, not discrete entities).
In principle, the three members of the Triat were balanced with one another during mythic times. The Wyld would take the raw stuff of the universe and shape it chaotically, the Weaver would give those shapes structure and purpose, and the Wyrm would return things to their original formlessness, all acting as a cycle. According to Garou myth, the balance tipped in favor of the Weaver with the rise of civilization. In order to cripple the Wyrm's ability to destroy the Weaver's creations, it was trapped in a knot of the Pattern Web (the framework of reality built by the Weaver), where it went mad. From that point, the Wyrm's objective was no longer the recycling of reality, but its absolute annihilation (perverting the Weaver's works as much as possible in the process). The strain of the Wyrm's newfound ambitions, even from its prison, drove the Weaver mad in its attempts to compensate for the damage. The Wyld, by definition was mad to begin with. This "sickness" of the spiritual world represents the greatest challenge to the spirit world (and spiritual aspects) of the World of Darkness.
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The Wyld
At once the most simply motivated and the least understood of the Triat, the Wyld is an unpredictable force that has little interest in hierarchies, fixed domains, or even names (Naming, according to myth, is a creation of the Weaver). At its most extreme it represents creative chaos unbridled by rules. At more subdued levels, however, it is associated with unntamed nature. As such, it does not so much create realms for itself as it brushes past places, objects, and beings, leaving its mark on them. In keeping with its total disinterest in civilization, its few servitors in the physical world (labeled "Gorgons" by the Garou) are wild animals blessed with unique abilities, acting as paragons of their species. Needless to say, no two Gorgons are alike, and many seem not to have a clear purpose - they simply exist.
The Wyld may be the weakest of the Triat, due to its steady loss of raw materials at the hands of the Wyrm. It is difficult to assess the Wyld's true nature, however, and as such impossible to make an accurate assessment of its power. It is certainly the case that the Wyld has the least influence on Earth's material reality of the three.
The Weaver
According to Garou myth, the Weaver is responsible for three things inescapably associated with the rise of civilization: Dogma (the superior virtue of one idea over another), Science (the belief that there is a single objective truth for all aspects of reality), and Technology (the use of tools of increasing sophistication to enhance the abilities of an individual or group). Unlike the Wyld (which has no clear agenda) and the Wyrm (which is too schizophrenic to pursue a unified agenda), the Weaver pursues its agenda of rigid stasis (i.e. an enternally unchanging universe) with total clarity.
To achieve its goals, the Weaver primarily relies on a vastly complex hierarchy of hyper-specialized spirits. These spirits engage in such diverse actions as "calcification" (transforming non-Weaver spirits into a part of the Pattern Web), conquest, and the subversion of existing resources and groups. Apart from the Technocracy (who do not believe or even seriously suspect that the Weaver exists) no group in the World of Darkness is wholely dedicated to the Weaver's goals. Many, however take advantage of those aspects of reality it claims as its own (the Glass Walker Tribe of the Garou being a good example).
It has been hinted that the "id" of the Weaver (Autochthon), is a Primordial, in a connection with the Exalted role-playing game. Because Exalted does not officially take place in the timeline of the World of Darkness, this may simply be a common theme used by the creators of both game lines at White Wolf Game Studio.
The Wyrm
Trapped in a prison since named Malfeas, the Wyrm has formed a microcosm of the Triat. The Wyrm within the Wyrm is the Defiler Wyrm, the face of corruption. The Weaver within the Wyrm is the Eater-of-Souls, the face of consumption. The Wyld within the Wyrm is the Beast-of-War, the face of calamity. The spiral-shaped labyrinth that the Black Spiral Dancers follow to the heart of the Wyrm consists of various tests for each of these faces, and for lesser spirits ("Urge Wyrms") that belong to each.
Though the Weaver makes use of a powerful army of spirits in a manner similar to the Wyrm, it favors, more than the rest of the Triat, the subversion of existing entities. To this end, groups of shapeshifters (the Black Spiral Dancers), mages (the Nephandi), and wraiths (Spectres), as well as entire human organizations (Pentex) have turned themselves over the Wyrm and represent many of its most powerful servitors. The Wyrm employs this strategy (a) because non-spirits do not have their nature written in stone, and are therefore easier to subvert and (b) because Earth as a physical domain is the Wyrm's primary battleground. If Earth falls to the Wyrm, the spirit world (which reflects reality in large part) will fall as well.