Quart Tart discreetly puts this letter on drifter cannon. Below this message is an insignia that looks like a face with its mouth sewn shut.
Quart Tart: Drifter Cannon,
I apologize for contacting you like this instead of speaking in person, but due to personal circumstance I cannot speak freely. And I also apologize for using a fake name, I know “Quart Tart” isn’t exactly convincing but creativity isn’t one of my strong suits and I’m taking precautions to protect myself. I would like to keep my identity secret, but if you feel knowing my name is necessary then let me know.
I will be frank: one of the drifters is a danger to the rest of my personally associated drifters and, depending on his knowledge and how the power changes him, potentially other drifters. Due to keeping my distance to preserve my own safety I don’t know his true name, but what I do know is that he is a study of the arcane arts and uses that knowledge to predict the future and gain knowledge of other realms. I know as much as I do about the other worlds and us drifters as a side effect of his actions. He listens in on conversations he should have no access to, creeps his senses into rooms he should not be aware of. He has gone by many names: Travis Broadtree, Ellis, Storyweaver, The Past Teller, all of them are fake. I call him the listener.
If I thought this were merely harmless information collection then I would keep my problems to myself, but something happened to him. Something snapped. I believe it is now beyond a form of obsession, though to what exact nature I’m not sure. The more information he connects the more frantic he becomes and the more… unstable my associated drifters become.
And now the reason why I contacted you in the first place: based off your name I believe you know at least one other group of drifters and know exactly what I speak of when I say drifters from different worlds. I held off contacting you at first, but based off of your mannerisms I believe my hunch is correct. If I am wrong, please disregard this message and pretend I never said anything. Burn or eat this note. Do you have any way to contact other drifters, even one? While information by chained messages is not the most reliable, if I could pass a warning to eventually reach the drifters spending time with the listener then they will know to be weary and protect themselves.
I need to stay in here for as long as I can; the listener struggles to hear in this place a bit more than other places. I will let you know if I can find out more. Let me know as well. Your words are safe; if I don’t speak then he can’t hear. I hope that you will assist in this matter.
“Quart Tart”
You see Drifter Cannon gulp down the note, and you hear the rustling of paper from within the cannon barrel.
The cannon then takes out a book, and flips it to this page.
Drifter Cannon: I don’t know much about you Drifters, but whoever you are, you have a powerful ally watching what I write in this book. I put your letter in there, and hopefully, it’ll get to your friends. But, out of curiosity, who are you really, Quart Tart? Are you one of these Drifters from another world?
Quart Tart thinks for a minute, then nods and writes a quick note.
Quart Tart: Some of my dear family are drifters, the Aerondight legacy is plentiful in the drifter world though we tend to keep a low profile. One day, I’ll be one too. My turn is coming soon, I must be ready for when that time comes.
To be short, no I’m not from Freshtovia. I’m afraid that’s all I’m willing to say on the matter as I must keep my loyalist appearances up.
Drifter Cannon: Whatever this entity is, it appears to be incredibly powerful, since it is able to read my journal even while it is inside my mouth, and it can create and remove pages from the journal whenever it likes. However, I did receive this note from it.
It appears to be friendly, or at least benign. I know it is connected to you Drifters from the pages it sometimes leaves behind for me to read, describing the various members of the Drifters. Maybe you know what this entity might be?
Quart Tart passes over another note.
Quart Tart: While there are many stone beings, there are few sentient metal beings I am aware of in relation to the drifters. There’s Velvet, a humanoid metal being with a kind soul, though this message doesn’t seem to line up with her manner of speaking. The only other pure metal being I am aware of is the Nefarious Wheel, but by that title alone I wouldn’t necessarily consider the wheel an ally. I will keep my ears open and find out what I can.
I’ve heard rumors of an artifact in this world of cosmic abilities. This item supposedly gives the user the ability to make contact with other worlds. While I have no clue what this artifact looks like, if we can find it then perhaps we will have better luck with collecting information.
Drifter Cannon: I would be greatly interested in any artifact that gives me access to more information. There are several individuals I need more information on, and this artifact might be able to help with that. I am willing to help you search for this artifact, so if you have any more information on this matter, let me know.
Quart Tart: Unfortunately a rumor is all we currently have to go on. I believe the best course of action at this point is to continue out current mission and keep our senses alert and try to gather whatever information we can from the locals. I’ll let you know the second I find out anything.
And please forgive my possibly ridiculous future actions, I must continue to act as Quart Tart to conceal myself. I hope you understand.
Back to Drifter Cannon’s Journal