Race to Claim the Treasure of Shikan

The greedy demon, Shikan, terrorized the countryside of the North, killing whomever and plundering whatever he fancied. No one dared to challenge his might, and his ego and reputation grew bloated and over-ripe.

But rumors have recently reached the South that Shikan had been slain by an uknown person, and that his vast treasure that he had collected in his lair under the mountain was up for grabs - that is, until the Emperor's Imperial guards show up to haul all of it back to the Palace.

Now nearly every mercenary who hears word of the unclaimed treasure is rushing with all haste towards the abandoned mountain of Shikan. Some are not so sure about the validity of these rumors and actively warn against racing there. What will the players do? Will they drop everything in an all-out dash for the treasure, and claim un-heard of wealth? Or will they listen to the wise old men who foretell disaster?

Different Endings:

1) Shikan really is dead, but other mercenaries have arrived before the players, and now there is major bloodshed over disputed treasure claims.

2) Shikan is not dead, but instead had a miscreant spread rumors while Shikan did not make his usual appearances. (You can think of the reason for this in a way that best suits your campaign).

Feel free to be creative and have the conflict end in any way you want. The basic jist of this plot is that a treasure is supposedly 'up for grabs', but no one can be sure.