Quiem had spent a portion of the night tinkering with his experiments, and Dustyn likely would have heard mysterious whirring sounds coming from the upper levels of the house. In the morning, Dr. Quiem comes down to gather up Dustyn before leaving. "How'd you sleep?" 

Dustyn

“Like a log... which had been pulped and turned into paper, then written upon and left to gather dust on a couch. That is to say: right at home here.”

Quiem laughs at Dustyn's description, then claps him on the shoulder, "That, lad, is what you get for boarding at the resident mad scientist's house. We'd best be getting to the Academy, although I'm sure the others could at least sleep in a bit." He walks out his front door, still laughing to himself, and once Dustyn has exited he takes a minute to fasten the elaborate lock that protects his house- and his experiments- from the outside world. 

Wilkas meets them outside, polishing his glasses and leaning against the wall.  “Salutations.”

Michael would walk up as the others are coming out.  "Where to next do you suppose?" He asks.

"Well it seems that Rufus Entwhistle is our only concrete lead in this affair. We could go to the Academy looking for him. He always struck me as a nice fellow so he might be willing to give us some of his time."

"As good a place to start as any I suppose." Michael agrees with a shrug.

The walk to Professor Entwhistle's office is reasonably short as he already has a prominent office on the main floor of the Academy's administration building.  The office is  luxuriously furnished with bookshelves lining every wall, apart from one wall of windows that overlook the entire Harbor Sphere. In front of the window is a oversized cedar desk -- you can smell the cedar as soon as you enter the office, in fact.

Entwhistle himself is behind his desk, dressed in his customary tight brown trousers and loose, flowing white shirt. Entwhistle delivers most of his lectures in such an outfit, eschewing the more traditional academic regalia many of the other professors wear. As you enter, he looks up and smiles a thousand-gold smile, his black hair and mustache immaculately groomed. "Hullo! Just a tick, my friends. Inspiration is a cruel mistress and she waits for no man." He says in a light, breezy voice.

"There, ha ha! Now, how can I help you?" He looks at your faces. "You don't look like students, though, I think I may have seen you before." He says to Donaar. "Did we meet at one of the Marquis's parties? Lovely affairs, those. I'm sorry, but I am not one for faces. Most of the ol' gray matter is reserved for my work." He laughs in a practiced way that makes you think that he's used that line many times. "If you're looking for the Dean, I'm afraid he's down the hall. In the smaller office."

He looks at you, expectantly and a little confused.

Donaar is a bit taken aback that the professor thought to have seen him at one of fancy parties since that was absolutely not his style. Then again, with the multitude of students he came across on a daily basis, he could hardly be blamed for not remembering everyone.

"Err, no professor. I actually attended some of your lectures. Your passion for meteorology really shows I must say. Where most people consider the weather to be a topic for small talk you manage to elevate it into the science that it is. And remarkably easy to understand too. Made a lot of people become interested in a topic they had initially considered a blow-off class. Speaking of people with a newfound interest in meteorology, you wouldn't happen to know what became of Sargent Waldmar Glassanvil?"

Entwhistle beams at you Donaar and pushes some unruly hair out of his face. "Haha! You ARE a student. I'm sorry, my lectures are usually so packed its hard for me to keep track! I'm glad you found it so interesting, young Dragonborn. Meteorology is perhaps the most underappreciated science. Weather patterns the course of world events far more than any other scientific field, and the Academy has been only too eager to allow me to investigate some of my theories that have been derided by some of those stuffed shirts as pie-in-the-sky. The idea that if you could alter weather patterns in a certain way...." He stops himself, only now just realizing that you asked a question, and his boyish face brightens with excitement.

"Oh, wizard! Are you lot private investigators? How exciting. I thought about sending for chaps like you yesterday. Came into my office after an appreciation lunch thrown for me by the Dean, and there was an incredibly foul stench here. Ungodly, really. Like something had crawled in here to die. I had to leave all my windows open to air out the place, you know? Some chaps from the cleaning crew came in this morning and scrubbed everything from floor to ceiling. Still a bit of a pong, though. Thought it might be a prank from one of the old timers. They're a bit jealous you know? Can't draw the crowds like the old days." He scrunches his face in disgust.

He starts to think carefully about your question. "Can't say I know the chappie. Name sounds Dwarvish. And a sergeant, you say? Hmm... is he a meteorologist or something?" 

Wilkas pinches his nose and winces at the story that is relayed.

following with his own questions, “How many cleaners were there?  Who asked for them to be here?  How long were the windows open for.... we’re you here the whole time they were open?  Did these cleaners have equipment with them, what kind?”  As his questions begin to badger the professor, he takes out several vials and begin smelling around trying to track down the smell still left over.  “Did it smell like this?  Or this?”

(using his alchemy supplies to try smells like sulfur, rot, etc)

Perception while smelling around the room “anyone care to help find the source of the smell?” Rolled with advantage - 19

Dr. Quiem hangs back, peering suspiciously at Entwhistle as he tells his story. Quiem is going to insight check Entwhistle, as it seemed odd to him. (insight check:17) As the conversation continues Quiem will look around the room for anything that might seem out of place. Perception: 20

Wilkas, your questions seem to overwhelm Entwhistle, who stammers out answers. "Uh, I don't....I asked the Dean, but I'm sure...the windows were open all afternoon -- I wasn't -- I don't know what equipment, a mop and pail, maybe?" He blanches visibly as the first few vials are shoved under his nose, and he pushes his floppy black hair onto the back of his head.

" Egads, that is rancid! You chaps are certainly some of the strangest birds I've ever met. I don't know what this has got your missing dwarf fellow but --- wait! That is it."

The smell, for your reference, Wilkas, is raw sewage. And working with Donaar, Michael, and Dustyn, you soon find the strongest place of lingering odor is Entwhistle's cedar desk. The professor, who had been dramatically inhaling fresh air from the window after you shoved so many vials under his nose swings his head back inside and steps between you and the desk. "This research is confidential, gentlemen! It's for...another project. Besides, I doubt laymen such as yourselves could even understand it." He chuckles. "Few within the Academy even understand it."

Dr. Quiem -- despite the fact that Entwhistle does not seem to recognize you AT ALL, nothing really rings false about his story. As you peer around his immaculately kept office, a few things do stand out. First, there are smudges at his large chalkboard, as though someone had lightly rested there hands at about your height. Secondly, there appears to be some scratch or claw marks at the windowsill that appear at least somewhat recent.

Dustyn looks out the window to see what’s out there and what’s below, and above.

perception 11 

Michael takes up a post by the door, letting others handle the speaking as he keeps an eye on the area.

Dustyn, as you look out the window onto the busy streets of the Hammer Sphere, you don't notice too much out of the ordinary. Some students -- obviously late for class -- rush down the street and you see a few of the step right through some steam coming from a sewer grate directly below Entwhistle's office. 

His window is on the second story, so it would be reasonably easy, if risky (from being seen) for someone to get in and out of Entwhistle's office via this method.

While the professor had been quite charming for the whole interview, Donaar couldn't help but notice how quickly he moved to stop them from getting to the desk. Not wanting to instigate another incident he tries a more academic approach.

"Pff, please, professor. We both know that a lot of students at the Academy got in thorugh their parents' money, and not thanks their brains. You can't use them as a baseline for intelligence. Why don't you try me? This would help our case AND might help you in your research. I mean, you already went to the trouble to teach me a lot about the subject in your lectures so might as well go all the way."

“Professor, we are not interested in you private studies.  It’s doesn’t even take a layman to realize the smell is still emanating from your desk!   If you don’t want your things disturbed I suggest you help us find the source of the smell.”  Wilkas sternly replies as he begins to check the drawers of the desk.

Dustyn 

“Awful funny coincidence that smell is sewer-like, and a sewer grate is right below this window.”

(Donaar Persuasion - 15)

Donaar, the professor smiles at you and chuckles patronizingly. "Nice try, but this is proprietary research unrelated to the university, so I don't believe I am under any obligation except to those who fund my research."

To Wilkas, Entwhistle becomes slightly defiant, as he straightens up to his full, impressive height.  "I'm sorry, old boy, but I already told you nothing is missing. I'm sure its just some idiotic prank. Why they would targent me, I have no idea, however. Anyway, aren't you here about Werner Glassaxe or some such?"

(Arcana check for WIlkas - 9)

Wilkas, you don't know exactly what you are reading as you sort through the paperwork within the desk drawers, but you have seen enough magic in your travels that the brief descriptions of some of the effects that Entwhistle is writing about are clearly magical in nature, and most likely Dunamancy.

"Are you lot talking about Wally? He's the only dwarf I know who isn't on the Faculty or part of the Marquis's retinue? He works for me at...my other laboratory. Sort of a security chief. Nice bloke, but not very bright. Handsome devil, though."

There doesn't seem to be anything in the desk that caused the stench, but, based on your previous Perception check, you do notice some small footprints on some of the documents.