Hmm.. Here's a thought regarding the mine, though I have no idea how easy or difficult it would be to implement.
OK, let's face it, Egg Mines are pretty ubiquitous, and almost invariably they end up being inhabited by a blighted queen who hasn't been taking her vitamins
On the other hand.. you know all of those sapphire (or maybe it's emerald, I can't recall) and ruby amulets lying around.. Not to mention the raw diamonds used for alchemy..
Well, where on earth do the minerals come from?
How about something like that if it's doable? You could probably do a retex of a glass mine, maybe.
As far as offering to help you on dialogue goes, I thought quite seriously about PMing you.. but right now I just can't commit to something like that, I have way too many obligations in RL at the moment.