"You're... investigating? And you wear Lauto's mark. Yes, you can't be with them! What happened? Well, my name is Varonus Morenson. I own an import business for fine textiles. Our offices are in... but that doesn't matter.
For twelve years, now, I have, as the dwarf says, been opening doors I shouldn't have been opening. I was... just bored, really. I mean, textile imports aren't exactly what I dreamed of, when I was young, and I'm not getting any younger. I just wanted some excitement, and when I stumbled across that book, well... I never did anything with what I summoned; never sent them on rampages or anything. I had them build this room for me in secret, kept it from my family. It was my secret, my way to get away and be myself for a bit.
Well, it turns out, someone noticed. I started to get notes, left in places no one but me would look. Threats, telling me that they knew what I was, and they had a job for me, and that they wouldn't take no for an answer. Left me instructions, how to contact them, passwords... But I did nothing. I thought... At first I thought it was a prank, but it kept happening. The threats got worse, said they'd go after my family, said I could work for them or feed them. One day, a zombie came into my shop, in broad daylight, and went after the customers! It was just one, and the guards got it, but I got a note saying it was just a warning, that my time was running out. I got scared. I wanted nothing to do with them, but who could I go to? I couldn't explain why they wanted me.
Then, they came... broke into the house, black robes, big serrated knives... Well, I fled here. And I started to summon something, to protect myself. I, uh, well, I was in a hurry, and I wanted something powerful enough to protect me. I cut some corners, doubled the reagents. I... may have stuttered. I got this." he waves at the circle. The demon just stands there, tense, waiting.
"I've never summoned anything like this. I don't even know what it is. I can't command it. I can't even banish it. It's all I can do to contain it. I've been holding the circle ever since. But I'm out of components. The circle is weakening. I... I'm weakening. I don't even know what day it is. And they never came. All this, and they didn't find me here. Or maybe they just left me." He laughs, bitterly.
"You should go."
It has been at least two days since the family upstairs were killed, which explains the man's exhaustion.
[sblock=insight 16 (passive is ok)]He's being mostly truthful, but he didn't quite meet your eyes when he said that he never used his summoned demons for anything.
[/sblock]