Ifahn sealing his tomb.
Ifahn was a powerful wizard who ruled Medroit from 976 to 1001. Those who met him described the man as driven and having wild eyes. He constantly searched for new ways to contain water in order to preserve life in the harsh climate.
His intellect and lust for knowledge later became his downfall when the city uncovered a powerful artifact beneath the sands. The legendary "Codex of Ash'tetept", said to grant untold knowledge to any able to decipher it's words, was brought to his court.
It took four strong men to carry the book, and it was moved into the palace. Upon opening the book, accounts say the mages who unbound the clasp were instantly destroyed in a flash of white light. Ifahn sent the brightest mages of Medroit in, none of which could crack the code. He finally went in himself and obsessed for days. The kingdom began to worry, and fall into disarray without a leader.
A week later, Ifahn was found dead. He was carried to his burial site, a pyramid placed over top a latent ley line. Shortly after, the water began disappearing. Ifahn had risen from the dead using the secrets in the book, and began stealing the water and sealing it into a giant hourglass.
He made a bargain with Von Straud to destroy Medroit and it's collective of wizards so that none could oppose the vampire. In return, Straud promised to tell Ifahn the location of another cataclysmal tome. The majority of his magic used to drain the sands, Ifahn set up guards and traps and began to rest.
Ifahn was eventually defeated by the party, he and two bodyguards Straud left put up a fight and almost killed several members, but a lucky blow from corian ended the struggle. With his death, and the shattering of the hourglass, Medroit returned to normal.