Ernst the Shepherd

Ernst is a shepherd in the Sennid Kingdom, living several days southeast of Dragontrap. In the fall of 3165 CA he was herding sheep and one happened to fall through a hole into a cavern. He tied a rope and went after it, to either rescue or butcher it, and found a cavern as well as a semi-collapsed brick wall. He saw a room past the wall, but got spooked by noises and ran away, happening upon a bracelet on his way out.
He pawned the bracelet in Dragontrap and it went unnoticed for weeks until someone knowledgeable thought it may be Juthannan. While it was being validated for authenticity, Navid, publicly a merchant, but secretly a well connected middleman in the underworld, was able to track down Ernst. Navid was just looking for someone he trusted to travel with Ernst and explore the ruins when Trem, a long time associate of his, came into port looking for work. Ernst then met with and eventually guided Trem and Malach to the ruins.