Merchant's Painting

A painting made in the resemblance of Mavis Oldoro, the rich merchant who owns Silver Lake Mansion. It was painted by a famous artist from the Argonian capital and is therefore very valuable. It is worth so much that there are none within Meydia who could even offer a fair price for the painting. It is framed in a richly decorated listing that is covered with silver plating.
The painting was stolen by a band of goblins a few days before the start of the campaign. Because of this, it endured some damage. The frame has some scratches on it and signs of the goblins attempting to get some of the silver platings off are clearly visible. The painting itself has come slightly loose out of the frame, the corner sticking out. Players can investigate this, spotting the secret writing on the back of the painting.
On the back of the painting, a number of notes are drawn. These notes relate to the existence of some kind of secret organization and provide some vague clues about an enhancement experiment. For the players to discover this, they must take out the painting from the frame and investigate it. Because the details on the back of the canvas are very complex and the writing is encrypted, the party will not be able to make a lot of sense of it, but the drawings should provide some insight as to the dubious nature of the notes. Among the notes a symbol is drawn, it is a circle with seventeen dashes piercing it. It is possible for a player to roll a history check based on this circle, allowing them to vaguely remember a name involving a circle and the number seventeen, which refers to the Cirlce of the Seventeen. They don't have any additional info about the society unless their background states otherwise. Additionally, the player must have stayed in either the Argonian Empire or Palamos empire for an extended time. This check is easier if the player has a background that involves interacting with high-standing members of society.