The small statues should turn until they face north, IIRC, then click into place and stop turning. Try turning them all to the north.

I believe if you scry for the human council member it should reset Mardaneus' position and status, so you wouldn't need to enter the catacombs. However, you can bypass the statue;

FIX for the Missing Catacombs Portal

Teleporting Anywhere, via hex editor