Ok, how bout this..
(Lufia 2 inspired this for you snes rpg freaks)
Have a mine seperate from the normal mine so that the quest doesn't intefere with levelers...
You find a woman in town sobbing....she has lost her son in the mine, who went chasing after a guy in a cloak when he stole their cart of rubies. Imagine the son as in his 20's or so. Your job : To find the kid and bring him home safe and sound.
Side quest: Don't let the woman ask of it, but if the person finds the cloaked man, kills him, and takes the rubies he drops and brings them when he returns the son, a much greater award is given.
(Keep in mind, its late, mind isn't thinkin so clearly, so that might have sounded dumb)