“ It has been said that within the mountains (or was it the darklands?) there dwells a fluffy creature of immense cuteness. This creature is so adorable that all who encounter it are filled with joy so great their mortal forms cannot contain it. And they explode. Several magic institutions are desperate to study the creature or better yet capture one to prove the theory of an elemental plane of 'D'Awwww'.”
“ A Deity of some sort has unleashed a plague of bookworms or something like that in the area. Almost all spellbooks are destroyed, along with bardic and historical books.”
“ Within a kingdom the prince or princess has died or been killed and the Queen has been driven half-insane with grief.What if one of the PC's was mistaken for the dead prince or princess and not allowed to leave? There would be advantages in accepting the role, but would it be worth it?”