Beegred: "I wasted a spell slot, but at least Hunter's Mark helped us follow that spook." (just role-playing what would aid his tracking)

"Maybe Narstin can say a few words over that skel? Don't want that angry ghost making another appearance. And it seemed to be looking for something. Maybe what is under that stone bed? I can check under the bed, if someone else will check under the body (hand under its chest)."

Skameros lifts up the bed to look under it.

With Skameros propping the bed up, Beegred is better able to look around to try and find what the gnome was reaching for at the time of his death.

DC 15 WIS (Perception) check: 24

Wise to the ways of the Underdark, Beegred easily finds 6 gems worth 100 gp each, and a potion in a bottle that doesn't appear to have rotted or spoiled over the centuries.

(If you add to your inventory, flag it so I know where it came from when it comes time to identify it)

Rodolfo surveys the area thinking about the ways gnomes live and where the place could or should be that they need to find.

"So if the living quarters are here and the gates were there then it would make sense the temple would be around... that way?"

Beegred: "Hold on. I wanted to check the body as well. There might be something hidden underneath it. Or it might have some kind of necklace or ID or papers (that haven't decomposed yet), that might tell us what was going on."

(He is a bit queasy, and was hoping Narstin or one of the others would do the checking.) Beegred takes a deep breath to calm down his nerves, then turns the body/skeleton over to check on it.

Beegred reluctantly tries to roll the bones over in case something else might be hidden, but finds nothing.  The bones however, come apart so that the pieces no longer resemble a humanoid shape beyond the fact the skull is at one end and the feet at the other.

When the bones come apart... he doesn't give a "jump scare", but maybe a "hop alarm"?

After straightening out his equipment, looks at Rodolfo: "Did you say something about going east?" (Assuming the others agree, Beegred will lead the way east.)

Leaving the burrow, Rodolfo and Beegred decide together to guide the party eastward.  As you move in that direction, the sounds of a waterfall steadily grows louder until you all reach a 100-foot-diameter pool that dominates the east end of the cavern.  Flanking the pool are two wide, rough-hewn staircases that climb 30 feet to a single large overlooking cave entrance from which a stream of water pours into the pool.

Rodolfo says, "Lets check this out, might be a good place to put a temple."

Your party climbs the stairs to find a shallow, swiftly flowing stream bisects this cave.  Crystalline formations sprout from the floor on both sides of the stream, and rough-hewn staircases at the back of the cave climb 30 feet to a barren stone ledge with a pair of winged statues perched atop it.

(From where you are, the nearest stairs in your line of sight, at the back of this cave  is 30 feet away.  The shelf at the rear of the cave is another 30 feet up.  On top of that shelf, are two winged statues that would be approximately 90 feet away from where you currently stand... not factoring in elevation differences).

There is nothing in this cave that would fit the description of a stone menhir.

"Skameros not think this is Men Hair we looking for..."

Beegred: "Two winged statues... might be gargoyles? If either of them move, be ready."

Rodolfo says, "Yeah, lets head back and check the other way, northward it was I believe."

Electing to leave the cave undisturbed lest you provoke unknown creatures, you descend the stairs and travel back westward through the large cavern, returning to your entry path.  Reaching the little body of water, you turn northward and descend stairs found in a small tunnel, large enough to move through single file.  You all emerge from the tunnel into another large cavern with light from bioluminescent fungi refracting through large crystal formations erupting from the floor, creating a kaleidoscope of colors on the surrounding walls. The crystals are semitransparent, slightly distorting images seen through them. A statue of a gnome cowers nearby near a crystal outgrowth, holding a broken crystal in its hands.

Rodolfo whispers, "If there is a medusa somewhere then I really don't like seeing gnome statues. No telling how long he's been here, but that's not good."

Does it look like there could be a temple further in?

To your right (east), there are two caves bisected by a path that inclines upward in an eastward direction.  The furthest cave (north side of the path) ramps upwards significantly.  The nearest cave (south side of the path) descends.  On the west side of the cavern, opposite the path, are stairs heading down as they hug a cliff.

Rodolfo slowly walks up to the gnome statue and studies it closely without touching. "If it's a medusa-made statue then he or she should be in middle of doing something. It's usually really difficult to capture this kind of a pose just by imagining it." (investigation check: 25)

He then proceeds to examine a nearby crystal formation, also without touching it. "I wonder if he or she was trying to use the crystal to somehow combat the deadly gaze of the medusa." (arcana check: 11)

Rodolfo approaches the gnome statue and can easily determine this was once a living gnome.  The statue holds a shard of crystal in front of one eye, the is other closed firmly.  The gnome is crouched behind a crystal cluster, trying to use it as a barrier or shield.  The statue is facing towards the cave entrance furthest from you that leads up into another cave or burrow.

Examining a crystal cluster, it is quite clear that they are not perfectly translucent.  In fact, looking through them is similar to looking through a looking glass that is not focused, rendering the scene behind very blurry and devoid of detail.  Looking through one of these crystals will definitely provide some advantage over looking at a medusa without it, or trying to not make eye contact at all.

(Your roll lets you know there is a benefit to using them, however you did not roll high enough to get the full game mechanics of it.)

Rodolfo goes back to the others and says, "I believe this might be helpful should we encounter the medusa. Lets see if we can get a few pieces to go for us."

"It might be worth gathering more of it if possible," Narstin responds.

(Is there any chunks of crystal lying around?  Or would we have to try to harvest it from the formation itself?)