Buender Hikeman

 is a retired miner who lives in the small town of Einbech. He is senile and is prone to having nightmares. He usually hangs around the Einbech tavern.

Story
Years ago, when Einbech was but a simple mining town, Buender and his close friends worked together in the Einbech Mines for an unknown business man. They eventually stumbled upon a mysterious ore that shined with a strange light. Unfortunately, they also came across an Ungoliant along with the ore, but somehow they managed to make it out of the mines alive with the ore.

After reporting their findings to their employer, they never saw the ore again. However, one day, Shinokas shouted to Buender and the others that he had found another of the strange ore. When the miners came to see what Shinokas found, they discovered nothing. At that moment, Shinokas cried out that an Ungoliant was coming and they all began digging their way out in a panic. In the process, the tunnel around them began to crumble and the section of the mines they were in collapsed. Buender passed out.

When Buender gained consciousness some time later, he was horrified to see the corpses of Khartophe, Anuto, and Maskharundt around him. Only he and Shinokas survived the cave-in. It was then he realized that Shinokas had planned to have them all killed in the mines.

Shinokas disappeared soon after, leaving Buender to wallow in misery over the loss of his dear friends. He grew angry as the years passed and sought revenge for the untimely deaths of his friends. He eventually became senile and finally mistook a passing adventurer for his mortal enemy, Shinokas. The adventurer is surprised about Buender's outburst and left.

It turns out that the ore that Buender and his friends found was actually a fragment of the Heart of Ymir. The fragment was sent to Einbroch's Laboratory, where it is kept under tight security. Shinokas was paid to kill his friends in order to hide their discovery and prevent others from digging in the Einbech Mines to find more fragments.

Some time later, the adventurer returned to tell Buender that Shinokas was dead. Hearing this, Buender became distraught and depressed, having only lived this long in order to seek revenge.

Trivia

 * While doing the The Crow of Destiny quest, players may stumble upon an old newspaper article referring to the Einbech mine collapse that killed Buender's friends.