We've been given a lot of information, true or false, on Savathun over the course of Forsaken. Much of this information has been regarding her nature: Trickery. In contrast we have almost zero information on Xivu Arath outside of the books of sorrow and a few yellow bars in the dreaming city. Of course her nature appears much more simple: War. However when we go back to the beginnings of the Hive and see the Xivu's pact with the worms, this is not the promise she made. Yul commands not that she make war, but that "You may never cease to test your strength." This, at least in my understanding, requires more than simple bloodshed. To test your strength is to challenge it. Xivu may not slaughter frivolously as Oryx and Savathun do, she must face opponents that contend with her might.
This presents a problem. The more powerful Xivu grows, the more difficult it becomes for her to find challenging opponents. Eventually she will reach a point where, if she is not defeated, she will become the strongest being in the cosmos. If this happens then Xivu, unable to challenge herself, will be consumed by her worm. However there is a solution to this problem; rather than scouring the universe for fearsome opponents, Xivu could instead "manufacture" her own. Like selectively breeding a dog, she could orchestrate the societal(or possibly even physical) evolution of species so that they become powerful, war-hungry cultures that can face her might.
This brings me to the cabal; why do they fight? The Hive fight to improve the final shape, the Vex fight to create their own shape, the Eliksni fight purely for survival but the Cabal? They seem to fight for the sake of fighting. Before Calus tore down the old Praetorate, "the people suffered so the legions could grow." And after Calus was overthrown, Ghaul lead his people on a conquest of death and destruction, Calus even tells us that "Ghaul fights so that he can keep fighting forever." There seems to be an innate desire to conquer and make war. An then of course we have the infamous Umun'Arath, Primus of all legions, who states that "War is all there is. Everything else is just logistical support."
While Umun's connection to Xivu is apparent, I believe there is a greater connection here to the cabal species as a whole. I believe that in the millenia the Hive gods spent seperate, Xivu has been reaping war rather than making it. If she seeks to become synonymous with it as some speculate, how better to achieve this than to become an architect of war, feeding conflict. In this way the Cabal are her crowning glory, the conquerors that never cease. Because a god of war does not wish for victory, they wish for a war that never ends.
~Originally posted on r/destinylore, thought I'd put it here as well for maximum coverage.
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The Umun' Arath connection I've been saying since the get-go. I wonder what her forces are doing at the Dreaming City then.....if they are really her forces...givin that it could be more of Savathuns trickery. What if she betrays Savathun.....The God of Cunning and Tricks gets tricked by her younger sister.....which was in a way testing her strength....as it never specifies which form of strength.