Cydwin (see PCs), while still beholden to the Serpent God Oroth, recruited several small groups of adventurers to seek out and claim the ancient treasures.  They players decided to follow the adventures of one of those groups.

        The partners, chosen by Cydwin, were mismatched to say the least.  An elven warrior-mage, student of the Four Stars from Malix's legions and a human spear master with head to toe burn scars and a phobic fear of magic.  They followed leads to the east of the Dragonfall Mountains, and began a careful exploration of unknown ruins, suspected to have originated with the old human empire, renowned for their necromantic magics.
        Knowing better than to just rush in, they carefully picked apart the outer buildings.  They find suprisingly little resistance, outside of a tribe of lizard men that had taken up residence.  Emboldened by the ease of exploration and a few pieces of ancient jewelry, they entered the shattered central palace, next to a puzzling and ominous pit.  Dwarven and human corpses were scattered everywhere in the eerily silent palace, the occasional body stirring or shifting in response to the dark energies.  Beneath the palace rested shattered vaults and the butchered remains of human experiments.  Deeper still they made two unlikely finds: a skeletal amalgam guarding an ancient mage's private lab and the Hammer of Kharan, an ancient dwarven relic.
        The Hammer touched off a lively debate, as it would not allow an elf to lift it, and the other half of the team was to fearful to even touch it.  Finishing the argument, they mapped the ruins, thought better of attacking the skeletal guardian and returned to Cydwin to make a report.

History:
        As one of the easternmost settlements of the ancient human empire, the base had actually been run by a meglomanical necromancer.  Bent on capturing dwarven adamant deposits, he had dug a well into the dwarves underground realm and sent small groups of undead to scout the area.  Thinking nothing of it, the dwarves slaughtered the undead and went about their bussiness.  Eventually the magi got a clear picture of the area and lead a massive strike force down against the dwarven outpost.
        He wiped it out, scattering the resistence and captured the dwarven adamant mine.  He turned it to his use in earnest, set on making truly regal and earthshattering regalia for himself.  However, the dwarves had other plans...
        When the survivors made their way to Haothane, the Council made their decision with a swiftness rarely found in dwarves.  They sent a return force of elite troops, lead by Gioval, holder of the Hammer of Kharan.  One swift counter attack knocked the magus out of the mines and reclaimed what was the dwarves'.  But Gioval was not satisfied without blood, his brother having been the leader of the mines.  They ascended to the surface world and struck at the human settlement, overwhelming its defenses in minutes.  They stormed the magister's palace, destroying his defenders both living and dead.  He waited in his throne room and as they hacked through the door, he unleashed his most powerful magic.  A wave of death washed through the town, killing everything that lived, marking the land forever.
        Gioval fell where he stood, crumbling to dust as he sent a silent prayer to Geon, leaving the Hammer of Kharan abadoned on a cold stone floor in a bastion of death.