Call to adventure: The Cave

Your characters are all, for whatever reasons you come up with, in the sleepy town of Robert's Mill, on the edge of the Wilds in the Eastmarch. It is a farming village with a minor garrison to defend against periodic raids by the Wildmen to the east, and its main feature is a mill owned by a brutal monopolist by the name of Bob. He insists that he be called Robert, but his parents really did just name him Bob. The town is unusually bustling--a glut of adventurers are hanging around, and as a result a glut of merchants have come to serve them [meaning you can buy whatever you can convince me would be found in a regular sized city, not just a tiny town]. Why so bustling, you ask? A Proclamation of the King! Your characters, whether reading it for the first time or having seen it elsewhere and come here as a result, read it thus: "HEAR YE HEAR YE A Royal Proclamation of King Klishayd Aevulkin, Thirteenth of His Name, Defender of the Westmarch, Eastmarch, Southwestmarch & other Marches &tc. To the Northeast of the King's Village of Robert's Mill, there is a cave infested with Goblins and Kobolds. Fear not, innocent citizens, for my faceless AevulTroopers are standing guard around the clock to prevent their escape. However, for those of you with more strength or skill, I have an offer which may interest you. It has come to my attention that, beneath the grottoes where the Kobolds linger, there is an ancient ruin built by the Ancient empire containing an artifact MOFT ANCIENT. I had sent in a detachment to retrieve it, but they have not returned. If you can retrieve for that artifact for your King, you will find it very rewarding. One Thousand Gold Pieces rewarding. To avoid any depopulation issues, please report your Adventuring Resume to the garrison at King's Mill One Week prior to attempting to enter the mine. If you are not up to snuff, my AevulTroopers will suggest a more suitable way you can help your King [for reals though, I've never balanced one of these things so please get me character sheets before we dive in so I can set up encounters and shit, lvl 2 characters (so you can actually do spells if you want to! You can leave your friends behind!) Adnd 3rd edition/the one we usually play (if you want to pick up some jacked up class from that wiki of jacked up classes I have no problem with that)]. I would send in another detachment, but my ghostly economic adviser Mul'Ton Frejdmum tells me that allowing you shmucks to try will still get me the artifact and at maximum only cost me 100 gold pieces, and "keep the rifks in the Sector Moft Private." On second thought, scribe, they don't need to know that. Hey, I said scratch that out! Don't write this down either! By the Beard of Maelor, you think you're clever, don't you?! Guard, kill this scri----------" A long line extends from the last letter. Your characters [should] know what they must do; band together and retrieve the artifact! Good luck (they're going to need it......).