Auxiliary Lore File: Cracks and Portals
---
Concept Overview:
The Tower and the world surrounding it in "The Last Shelter" are plagued by mysterious fractures in reality known as Cracks, and rarer, more dangerous openings called Portals. These anomalies are direct consequences of God's abandonment and the decay of the Heart that once stabilized existence.
---
1. The Cracks
Definition: Cracks are tears or fractures in the fabric of reality itself. When God abandoned the world, the Heart (the Tower's core) began to rot, destabilizing space, time, and physical matter within the Tower and surrounding reality.
Manifestations:
Endless looping hallways.
Staircases that twist into impossible spirals.
Doors that open to voids or wrong floors.
Rooms filled with mirrored versions of the past or alternate realities.
Effects on the World:
Causes hallucinations and time lapses.
Turns humans into Hollow Ones when they fall too deep.
Distorts memory, causing people to forget how they got places (explaining survivors' confusion).
Leads to places that no longer exist or never did.
Examples in Story:
Chapter 5: John's warping hallway experience.
Chapter 1–4: Sudden darkness, instant time shifts.
---
2. The Portals
Definition: Portals are large, stable openings created when reality is sufficiently weakened or broken, allowing travel from one space (or world) to another.
Creation:
Can appear when the Heart is damaged or disturbed.
Can be manually opened by powerful beings like Rick or the Harbinger.
Function:
Offers escape routes—but rarely to safety.
Dangerous: If unstable, they can crush, warp, or displace anyone using them.
Examples in Story:
Chapter 6: John smashes the Heart; a portal door appears.
Chapter 7: The group emerges on the apocalypse-torn city street.
Chapter 8: Rick and the Harbinger open a portal to another world.
---
3. Control of Portals:
Who can manipulate them?
The Heart (before decay).
Rick (semi-dead, mutated being bound to the Tower's will).
The Harbinger (entity feeding on fear and ruin).
---
4. Dangers and Symbolism:
Cracks:
Represent the world's spiritual and physical collapse.
Symbolize forgotten sins, broken faith, and the corruption left behind by God's departure.
Portals:
Represent rare, fleeting salvation—or worse traps.
Only offer escape if opened by those who understand their rules.
---
5. Summary Table:
Concept Description Example in Story
Cracks Fractures in reality, warp space/time Warping hallways, endless staircases
Portals Usable rifts for escape or transfer Heart Portal (Chapter 6); Rick's Portal (Ch.8)
---
Final Notes:
The Cracks and Portals are core to the world's lore, tying the decay of reality