I must reconsider my studies! Before, I believed this mountain of the Pillars of Creation to be an active volcano... the pit of lava is proof! I figured the top of this mass must have been ripped open during a prehistoric eruption, shaping the land as we know it!
And the strange structure, well — perhaps a place of prayer and solace, built by the Ancients in an earlier age. Sadly, I was not the first to see it. Another expedition arrived before me. Eastern folk, led by a "Nala". They believe it's "a gateway" of some kind... truly interesting. I will rethink my theories!