You go back to the intersection that brought you down here. To the north are the stairs you originally descended, to the south is a set of stairs leading up and there is an offset hallway leading west from the southern passage. You could go up the stairs but the lemure said something about going past the room with two large columns.
Seeing how you had come from the one set of stairs you head south. At the intersection of the hall you can see that it passes through a room but you cannot really see anything in the room. Up the southern stairs you can just make out a single column in a room of indeterminate size.
"Much of this place has been decorated with art of historical significance. That column seems to stand out. Perhaps it has something that will help us in our quest."
The group proceeds up the stairs to check out the column. The oddly shaped room retains some of the trappings of its former glory. Remarkably well-preserved tapestries hang at the back of alcoves above stone benches. Both depict a mountain with a woman’s face carved into the peak above an immense bridge that crosses the ocean below, while at the mountain’s base rises a strange city. A single stone pillar stands in the middle of the room, the image of a seven-pointed star with a hole in its center carved into its north face. A brass portcullis stands to the west, barring entry into a hallway leading beyond.
These tapestries and rubbings of the pillar would be worth a small fortune.
"Ah, this!" Cimrôdel exclaims, his voice almost reverent as he steps forward to admire the tapestries. "This is precisely the kind of antique I would be seeking. The craftsmanship is exceptional, and the imagery is rich with historical and arcane significance."
He gestures toward the tapestries with a practiced hand. "Observe the mountain with the woman’s face—an unmistakable iconography of ancient Thassilonian influence. The bridge crossing the ocean suggests an intercontinental connection, perhaps linking distant cultures or regions with powerful, forgotten forces."
Cimrôdel peers closer at the tapestries, his fingers brushing lightly over the air in front of the artwork as if tracing the scene. "And the strange city at the base of the mountain—notice the design of the buildings? They have the distinct look of pre-Varieians, possibly even tied to the ancient Elven cities of lore. Their style matches none I’ve seen in recent years, suggesting they may have been built before the rise of modern civilizations. The cultural significance is undeniable."
He turns to the rest of the party, his excitement growing. "These tapestries, along with the rubbings of the pillar, could be worth a fortune—not only in terms of monetary value but also in the knowledge they might unlock. This is a treasure trove of history, waiting to be studied. We must handle them with care, for they could provide invaluable insight into this place and its origins."
"We may have to return again then. Perhaps with some bearers or some magic to remove some of these things. I only have a single sheet of parchment with me; certainly not enough to take rubbings of all of this."
Molasbar will detect magic around the room to make sure our mundane eyes aren't missing anything special.
Shathee moves towards the column and examines the strange star-pattern with the hole in it. He tries to determine if it is a trap, while standing off to the side as much as possible, or possibly a keyhole. He's not unfamiliar with people hiding stashes out in the open using hidden keys and switches and given the number of fiendish enemises they've come across he assumes it's possible this could be one no one has found previously.
The hole is triangular, an inch to a side, and about two inches deep. There appear to be no traps.
The Sihedron star drawn around the hole is upside down.
Knowledge (arcana)
Knowledge (history)
Perception
Like molasbar, you may make one of each check if you have the skill
Shathee puzzles over the star-pattern for just a moment before searching through their items to see if they have found anything that could serve as a key. "What shape was the... haft on the spear-thing we found earlier on that statue? Have we found anything else about this size in a triangle?" he asks as he checks the stash.
"This symbol," Cimrôdel says, gesturing towards the seven-pointed star above the hole, "is simply the Sihedron, though displayed in an inverted manner. Its meaning is quite significant, but we will have to investigate further to understand its implications in this context."