Esteemed professor Alstan Sonorio, of Morgrave university had gone missing after recently obtaining some books on the Closed Circle, the Dragon Below, and the secrets of the lower cogs. He seemed rather interested in restricted history of Sharn…enough to deal with Clan Borromar to obtain these tomes. We descended to Lower Dura in search of answers, and readily came across a gang of halflings bearing the red and green badge of the Borromar. After coming to an agreement, we were led through the cogs to a location known to be frequented by the professor and by mages of the Guild of Starlight and Shadow.

A silent alarm seems to have been triggered when opening the gates leading to the hideout built into the stone. We emerged into an abandoned warehouse filled with spare war forged parts, and even a few full formed war forged…but they were empty, lifeless, as if their souls were stripped away. There were magic spidering veins on these empty shells similar to the marks found in professor Alstan’s office.

An opening lead down deeper to the cave, a mad male voice echoing up from its depths. This part of the cave rests just above the Lava pools, and is uncomfortably warm. The ground is piled high with Powdered war forged – at least 10s of feet deep in places. Something very bad seems to have happened here, and perhaps continues to happen…

The professor is contorted, seeming to argue with himself or an unseen thing. Suddenly, his eyes went white and his back split open as a massive aberration pulled itself free. The creature sucked the professor inside of its chest, an addition to the amalgamation of parts the rest of it was comprised of. Despite its fearsome features, it passed into death just as any other creature.

It released the exhausted professor who seemed quite unable to hold a sane conversation. We found his journal, and he was holding a curious wooden trinket in his hand. He kept muttering about how we are all shells, and that they are coming through now that the gates seals are unlocked. Sollyn picked up the frail professor, and we made for the door to get him to healers as soon as possible; however, our way was blocked by two elves in noble attire and a large automaton.

They informed us that this area has been quarantined by the government of Sharn since before the war, and wished to know our business. We explained about the missing professor, and he recognized the wooden trinket. He explained it was a toy to represent many ways of solving a problem…and a way to remember a nursery rhyme about the origin of the world.

Afterward, he introduced himself as the Master Archivist, Taelious Vaun, an aberration specialist. He explained that the war forged have been here in this state since the end of the war. He suggested that they escort us back to the professor’s office, but having just met them, we decided to make our own way back. They met us at his office, seemingly known to the people there, and we left the professor in their car. It seems we earned two patrons out of the ordeal, but the professor’s mind is quite scrambled from the ordeal.