The Towers • Origin: No one knows where they come from. They don’t build up slowly — they manifest fully formed, often within seconds. Sometimes in wilderness, sometimes in the middle of a bustling city. • Appearance: Alien and impossible geometry. Sometimes obsidian-black spires, other times shimmering glass-like constructs. They don’t follow one style — each tower feels “other.” • Behavior: • Release “waves” of monsters that spread into the surrounding world. • Inside are floors filled with increasingly dangerous creatures. • At the top is a “core” or “boss” — destroying it causes the tower to collapse into dust and disappear. • Unpredictability: No one knows when or where the next one will appear. Cities are in constant low-level fear.
Monsters & Magic • Monsters: Not just generic beasts — each tower breeds unique horrors based on its “theme” (fungal, crystalline, clockwork, abyssal). They don’t just kill, they corrupt environments, leaving scarred zones even after the tower vanishes. • Magic: Towers bleed raw energy into the world, changing physics around them. Lightning storms without clouds, rivers flowing uphill, patches of eternal night. Espers are believed to be humans mutated/gifted by exposure to this energy.
Espers • Rarity: Only one esper might emerge in a population of millions. They’re immediately hunted down (for recruitment or, in some nations, containment). • Abilities: • Range from elemental manipulation to psychic gifts to bizarre distortions (time slips, shadowmancy, blood manipulation). • Powers are unstable — the more they use them, the more they risk slipping into a frenzy (called Resonance Collapse). • Public Perception: • Some see them as heroes. • Others fear them as volatile weapons. • Underground black markets hunt esper blood/organs, believing they contain “tower essence.”
Handlers • Role: A Handler is like an esper’s tether to humanity. Their scent, voice, and presence regulate the esper’s resonance, allowing them to use abilities without breaking down. • Compatibility: • Not every esper can bond with every handler — it’s rare and unpredictable. • Some pairings are immediate and overwhelming, others take months of attunement. • Risks: • If a handler dies, the esper can go into uncontrolled frenzy, often killing dozens before collapsing. • Handlers themselves can suffer — headaches, nosebleeds, fatigue from prolonged exposure. Some burn out young.
Military / Government Control • Esper-Handler Units: Formed into specialized task forces. Each unit might be a “squad” of espers with handlers embedded, or one esper-handler pair supported by normal soldiers. • Training: • Handlers undergo psychological and physiological conditioning to strengthen their bond. • Espers are trained like weapons, drilled in control, but ultimately handlers are their anchor. • Politics: Different nations treat espers differently. • Some elevate them to elite status. • Others collar them like dogs, handlers doubling as minders. • Black-ops units use them for espionage and assassinations.
Society & Culture • Fear: Life continues with smartphones and skyscrapers, but beneath it all, there’s unease — towers can appear anywhere. Evacuation drills are as common as fire drills. • Religion: New cults have risen, worshipping the towers as divine punishment or gateways to godhood. Some sacrifice humans to “appease” them. • Media: Espers are celebrity figures. Governments push propaganda, broadcasting successful tower raids to reassure the public. Fans form idol-like fandoms for known esper-handler duos. • Urban Adaptations: • Cities construct “resonance shelters” (reinforced underground havens). • Tower sirens sound like air raid warnings. • Tower aftermath zones become forbidden “wastelands,” crawling with feral monsters.
Aesthetic & Atmosphere • Contrast: Sleek modern world (glass skyscrapers, neon billboards, subway trains) ripped open by alien spires and monstrosities. • Tone: Always a sense of tension — the world feels like it could unravel