Lidia carefully looks around the room, into the rough, earthen walls. They continue to have all sorts of beetles, centipedes, and worms crawling along them, but nothing of the size and ferocity of that thing that emerged. Thankfully, it appears to have been alone, although the presence of similar large worm-tunnels makes it hard to feel comfortable.
Turthain, now fully recovered, keeps his bow cocked, ready for action, just in case.
Amirad and Sarge carefully pick through the mine cart and dead miners. At first, they are very careful and note that yes, the corpses are filled with similar hungry worms, looking for new flesh. Careful application of flame, and expert discretion ensure that these creatures do not burrow into the living. They right the cart, and find that these unfortunate souls died rich: the cart contains a small sack filled with platinum and electrum pieces, and a bloodstone that brought them no luck.
Austin and Brim move up to examine the stucco wall. The stucco wall is curved, and carefully decorated with a bas-relief of a pitch black urn, held in a glass cube, and surrounded by archers wearing blue armor and blue armbands. To the left of this scene, a number of black knights, wielding tridents and scourges, fall under a hail of arrows. To the right of the urn, a section of the stucco wall has fallen, lying face-down on the floor of the mine. There appears to be a small section of a chamber behind the stucco, but it has been nearly completely filled in with earth over millennia. Only a tiny crawlspace remains. The utterly destroyed remains of someone dead for thousands of years lies inside the crawlspace, still wearing surprisingly preserved blue splint armor and a blue velvet armband. Two small coffers lie partially buried in the earth, at either side of the ancient's head.
"Beware this temple, mortals!"
Everyone turns from their tasks, to see Zhantain standing, eyes glazed over, his voice clearly not his own.
"Herein lies the remains of Jezebel, High Priestess of the Whoremother, in the Vessel of Calypto, an artifact of unimaginable evil! We, followers of love and freedom, the great Ever Beloved, guard this instrument of corruption for all eternity. Heed well this warning, mortals, and recognize the sacrifice that we have made, to be forever denied the fruits of paradise so that we may remain eternally vigilant in our sequestration of such an abomination."
Zhantain crumbles, and vomits. Maruial helps him up and offers to take him back to town.