The Forge
Before the land had been woven into form, there was nothing but The Forge, a being that existed outside of space and time, capable of creating nearly anything with its near limitless power. Mortals who have seen it say it looks like an anvil, but its true form is likely far more complex, beyond comprehension.
The Forge is what brought this land form. Planets, stars, galaxies, all the way down to atoms and molecules, all were brought forth by the Forge's insurmountable will. But eons passed, the cosmos wheeled around the Forge over and over, stars collapsed and were born anew—and despite all that had been created, the universe still felt empty, and hollow. Something was missing. The Forge could no longer find purpose within the jaws of futility that were beginning to close upon it. And so, within the hearth of its mighty furnace, it created the most incredible thing it could possibly ever make: the first seeds of life. The universe began to spring anew, life and sentience blooming across planets and galaxies. And then life began to create.
They say The Forge's power hasn't been the same since the Blossoming began. Life itself is constantly creating new things on its own, but the energy to create things comes from the Forge itself. It is slowly withering away as life continues to sap energy from it.
None know what will happen if the Forge finally falters.
"A factory? You're one of those cultists trying to bring about the end of the Forge, aren't you?"
"...I am forgeborn, as are you. It is my duty to my own creator to end its suffering. It is not out of ill will that I create creation, but pity."
"So instead of searching for an answer to its suffering, you intend to simply destroy it? Tell me, strange man, do you kill your beloved pet at the first sign of sickness? Or do you care for it and try to find a cure?"
"...the Forge is different. It does not breathe and live as we do. What will happen if it slowly withers away with us in it? We must destroy it ourselves. We are obligated to."
"And what if that makes it worse? What if it's supposed to wither? What if we won't perish alongside it?"