The area around the shrine has been meticulously cleaned. Upon closer inspection, you notice a droplet of liquid on one of the candles that does not appear to be wax. You dab it with your finger and raise it to your nose. The substance has a strong chemical stink, perhaps some sort of embalming fluid? You question the custodian, but he cannot offer an explanation for its presence and assures you that embalming fluid would not be used in the preservation of the armor.

With nothing more to be gathered here, you decide to move on.