"Toran and I were friends and colleagues. We researched draconian history, trying to separate reality from myth in the hopes of garnering some kernel of valuable knowledge. Toran was obsessed with the secret magic dragons are rumored to keep, while I was more interested in learning more about my own draconian heritage. We knew that there may be some risk involved in attempting to peer at the knowledge of dragons, but we thought we could keep the danger to ourselves minimal by hiring out adventurers to explore the places we thought may contain something pertinent to our research. He was paid quite well for delivering our findings to the king, and he received much recognition as well. I was happy to just be helping Toran."
Voitheia pauses, wiping a tear from her eye.
"A few weeks ago, I was able to translate and decode an encrypted a book that was written in a combination of draconic and goblinoid. The book hinted at the existance of a very ancient and still active cult that worships some vile dragon god. It also detailed a handful of possible locations for where the cult's stronghold could be. When I showed my findings to Toran, he got very upset with me and told me not to look into it further. I eventually got him to change his mind, and we set about for days researching the cult and talking to people who we thought might know something. We weren't able to learn much, so we had resolved to hire out a group of adventurers to go explore the locations we thought the cult might be located."
Her shoulders shudder with grief as she relays the final piece of information.
"I was over at his house ... the night Toran disappeared. He was fussing with the stew he had in the copper, and I was in the bath at the time. I heard a window break, and I heard Toran scream. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. I hid until the noises stopped, then I grabbed a robe and ran out to see what had happened. The room was in shambles and Toran was gone, so I gathered up as much of our work as I could and ran away. I didn't stop running until I got home and locked the door. It's all my fault he's gone ..."
For getting her to tell her story without using force, and for avoiding combat with Akurei, you each gain 300 exp.