The entrance to the mine shaft yawned before him, like the patient, hungry gullet of some immense beast. Hesios found himself swallowing nervously, and backing a step or two away from that pitch black abyss, all the bravado that had seen him come here vanishing. It had been such a noble idea, back within the safety of the ocean and its familiar tempers and tantrums. Come to the newly re-opened, rediscovered Ancense Ruins, assist any adventurers who had become injured or otherwise in peril, and maybe, just maybe, have a little look around himself. The siren shook his head at his own folly, and anxiously toyed with the clasp holding his small medical kit to his belt. The action seemed to ground him somewhat, and he stepped forwards once more. He was a decent enough healer, he could help people, so there was no reason to be so worried about this! Despite the rumours of undead - and going underground. Deep, deep, underground into a place no-one had set foot for many years.

Wavering, Hesios stopped just before the entrance once more, mouth twisted as he battled his nerves.
Oh come on! he chastised himself, irritated at his own fearfulness, You've swam through places just like this with no worry!
True, but those places had been, obviously, underwater, and he hadn't had to worry about getting lost and stranded, with no way back to the ocean he so desperately needed to survive. Or at least needed to remain a siren, and not just a somewhat gangly, nervous man. He tried not to think about that fate, being trapped for so long on land that he lost his voice and magic. Sure, he could live without both, but, even as much as he disliked his Song, he didn't think he could live without the wild beauty and dangers of the ocean.

Plopping down on a boulder near the entrance, Hesios busied himself with sorting out his medical kit. Pretending that it was just a brief stop to arrange things and be prepared, not a chance to sort out his cowardly, traitorous brain.
The longer you waste out here, the less time you have down there, he pointed out to himself, Even now there could be people down there, hurt and afraid, needing my help.
Despite both being very good arguments, he still found himself staring at that dark, gaping entrance, and gulping.

"It ought to be around here somewhere Cheese Wheel." Karason leant forward from the perch at the front of his cart and gave the donkey a hearty pat on the back.
It had not been long since Karason had left his home behind, though he had spent much of his time out under the open sky in awe. Everything was a new experience to him. Karason fancied a brief reprieve from all these new and bizarre visuals and vistas.
Mines, Karason knew mines, his kin were particularly fond of mines. An empire built on interlinking mines, peerlessly crafted to weather just about any calamity.

The Dwarves had always taken an interest in tales of the Ancense Ruins, Edelweiss and their history. Members of various trade caravans had always been happy to share stories of the outside world with the Dwarves, particular after a few hearty ales. Karason and his kin had a kind of unspoken kinship and respect for any who had built a reputation on mines. A more recent caravan had every brought the exciting news that theQueen of Adeluna had reopened the mines.
The Dwarven hierarchy was keen to investigate, the possibility of an expedition was being floated. As with all decisions they made however, this would no doubt take a great deal of time and deliberation.
Since Karason was already out here however, it couldn't hurt to have a peak.

"Pretty sure it should be right around.." The cart rounded the bend and before them was what most certainly looked like the entrance to a mine. "Well what do you know, that friendly bloke a few miles back sure had a knack for directions." He glanced at the ink that he had scribbled on the back of his arm.
Karason's eyes wondered from the entrance. A chap was sat next to the entrance, rummaging through a satchel. Karason stood up on the cart as it came to a halt and bellowed "Greetings!" with a broad grin.

So lost in his busy-work and arguing with himself, Hesios all but jumped out of his skin at the enthusiastic bellow. As if that had been its queue, the vial he had been holding became slippery as an eel, and slid through his fingers. With a muffled yelp, the siren lunged for the vial, grabbing it just before it hit the rocky ground. Loosing a sigh of relief, he slid the glass jar back into his kit with exaggerated care, before looking towards the speaker. A dwarf, a grin apparent even from beneath the vast, tangled wealth of beard, riding a donkey-pulled cart. Instantly, some of Hesios' worries faded, and he offered a small, tentative smile in response. Oh thank the tides, a dwarf! Dwarves lived and breathed mines! Or…they usually did. It was odd to see one of their kind above-ground and away from their subterranean cities. Maybe he had come to investigate the newly re-opened mines?

"Hello," Hesios greeted the dwarf once he had drawn closer. The siren eyed the donkey warily, not really used to seeing them up close. He wasn't used to seeing much on land up close, actually, despite being over a century old. Hesiodos had only recently started coming ashore to walk among the land-bound races, having spent most of his time up until then near the area of ocean he had grown up in. It had taken him a good while to learn how to walk as a human, let alone change into the human form all sirens could assume. Then he had spent time after that trying to learn all he could before, finally, he got the courage to come out of the water, and become part of the community. Well, in theory, anyway. He was still working on that bit.
"Did you come to investigate the mines too?" he asked, knowing it was a stupid question, but not really sure where else to start either. Turning his head, Hesios looked into the dark, before shrugging self consciously. "I did, but I realised I know nothing about caves or tunnels, so I'm at an impasse," Hesios chuckled at himself, before looking back to the dwarf.

Getting up from his seat, the siren dusted his trousers off, before settling the pack back onto his shoulders.
"I'm Hesiodos - but please, just call me Hesios. It's…easier," he said, sheepishly.

"I did indeed, Hesios!"
Karason turned and rummaged through his cart. He threw on a bandolier, stocked with various bits of his personal alchemy kit, a backpack and finally, an entire keg, which he hefted haphazardly under his arm, before fastening it over his shoulder with a strap. He clambered down from his perch and onto solid ground.
"Caused a bit of a stir when me and my kin heard this place had reopened, had to poke my head in while I was in the area, didn't I?"
Karason sauntered over to Hesios, with another grin, he extended a hand to shake. He shook Hesios's hand, somewhat vigorously. In fact he seemed to shake his whole arm.
"Karason, Karason Stoutbrü, pleasure to make your acquaintance! You know, if you fancy some company in there, I wouldn't say no to a drinking partner!" He gave the keg at his side a pat, to punctuate the sentence.

"First things first though." Karason turned back to his the cart and the accompanying donkey. "Cheese Wheel! You're in charge."
Karason reached into a jacket pocket, before producing a carrot and gave it to the donkey to eat.
"Hold down the fort, don't do anything I wouldn't do.." Karason paused and pondered "On second thoughts, maybe that's why you keep getting into mischief."
Cheese Wheel tended to, he turned back to Hesios.
"Right then!" Karason slapped his hands together enthusiastically and extended one hand in the direction of the mine. "Shall we?"

Hesios blinked, somewhat shell-shocked at the enthusiastic banter of the dwarf. This Karason certainly wasn't shy, was he? The siren watched the dwarf outfit himself with various gear - and a whole keg - before hopping down from his perch. It was rather amazing how much he could carry, compared to the gangly, slim siren, but then again, he doubted the dwarf could swim very well. They each had their own specialities, he just had to remember that. His sisters always told him he was too self critical, that he should have more confidence in himself. Easy for them to say, though, when they were the very model of what a siren should be, and he was, well, always in their shadow, too shy and nervous to make his way out of it. He was jolted from his thoughts by a handshake that travelled up his whole arm, and set his head to nodding.
"I suppose so," he agreed, "Some company would be marvellous," Hesios said, grateful the dwarf had offered.
"I know some healing, so I won't slow you down at all."
As for drinking partner? Well, he wasn't sure about that. Would it be safe to drink and go exploring a possibly undead infested mine?

Before he could say much, however, Karason had turned, and was addressing his donkey.
"Did I hear you right? Is your donkey named Cheese Wheel?" Hesios blurted, before stammering, "Er, not that I dislike the name, it's just unique."
Nice one, Hesios. Possibly offend someone over the name of their donkey. This was going great. Shaking his head at himself, Hesios started toward the mine, getting his lantern out from his pack and lighting it. He did have some magic to enhance his eyesight, but he hadn't tested it much out of the water, and he didn't want to assume Karason had anything similar.

"So, have you been in many mines, Karason? Can I just call you Karason?" Hesios asked as they progressed into the darkness. He hoped the dwarf didn't mind being on a first name basis. While he wasn't all that people savvy, Hesios still preferred to be friendly rather than formal. His sisters had teased him about that, said it didn't help him form a suitably aloof, noble, and alluring mystique as befitting a siren. Hesios was happy with that, though - he didn't want fawning admirers, he wanted friends.

"Cheese Wheel, aye!" Karason let out a raucous belly laugh "The silly bugger knocked a keg of the good stuff out of the cart while I wasn't around. Keg ruptured, daft animal drank the lot"  He suppressed more laughter  "had to chase him as he rolled at considerable speed down a hill. Thankfully he seemed largely unfazed. A large enough quantity of alcohol has a way of doing that."

Karason returned to Hesios's side and matched his speed as the two moved into the mines.
"Of course, Karason is fine! Is my name after all." He chortled "As for mines, I've spent most of my life up until this point in or around them. It's all these trees and the open sky I'm less familiar with." He stroked at his mighty beard thoughtfully "Not that all mines are created equal, mind you." He furrowed his brow slightly "I've heard tales of the somewhat shabby mines humans tend to produce. No artistry, just a gert ruddy hole in the ground.." He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
"At any rate, that's the worse case scenario, just a boring hole." Karason looked towards Hesios "I'm sure we can liven the place up, if that is the case though!" he guffawed.

"How about yourself Hesios? What brought you here?" The two of them proceeded, one cautiously, the other brazenly.

The images painted by the dwarf's words were hilarious, and any worries as to the donkey's health were put to rest by simply looking at the happy, placid animal before him. Still the siren felt he should try and be somewhat composed, as of yet unsure how Karason would take his laughing at the mental image of the stout dwarf sprinting down a hill after a drunken donkey. It got harder, however, to keep his laughter in check once Karason himself started laughing. It was almost contagious, and before he knew it, a chuckle had escaped Hesios's mouth. As if that were the queue to charge, more laughter fought to get free, and Hesios fought it for all of a second before giving in. He couldn't help it - Hesios let loose the laughter bubbling forth, almost doubled over with mirth.
"A most apt name," was all the siren could say, wiping his eyes after the bout of laugher had left him.

Sobering, Hesios listened attentively to Karason speak. He hadn't thought that much about it, but it made sense that all mines were the same. Also, the fact that the dwarf was not long away from his homeland, oddly, set Hesios more at ease. He wasn't the only one unfamiliar with the land above, as it were.
"I'm the same - being unfamiliar with tress and stuff, I mean," he explained quickly, "I'm not human. I just do a good impression," Hesios added, both at once wanting to be clear just as to what he was, but also anticipating a negative reaction to him revealing just what he was. He didn't want to mislead Karason, however, despite how much he dreaded whatever reaction might follow his admission. It was something best gotten out of the way before they got into potential danger in an unknown mine, though.
"I'm a siren, so I'm more used to the ocean rather than all this…land," Hesios said, glancing to the dwarf before quickly looking back at the mine ahead.
"Well, if this goes well, I'll have to visit some dwarven mines for comparison."
Oh, he hoped this went well, on more count than one…

"Don't laugh, but I came to see if anyone needed help," Hesios replied, knowing how stupid it seemed, considering he'd made all of no progress to that end.
"But I've never been in a mine, and I've not really been on land all that long, so it's…going slowly."
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, before shaking his head.
"My family thinks I'm mad, because I'd rather be a healer of folk and beasts than some ship-wrecking tempter. I'm somewhat of a disappointment to the family trade," he admitted, wanting to set Karason at ease that he wasn't going to try and bewitch his soul or anything. He really did just want to see if anyone needed help, heal them, and go back to the water with a warm and fuzzy feeling of accomplishment.

"A Siren eh?" Karason paused and stroked at his beard again. "You'll have to forgive me, I'm not all that familiar with your race.." Thankfully, the beard did a decent job at hiding much of his embarrassment.  "Me and my kin have predominantly traded with landlocked caravans. Plenty of human settlements eager for Dwarven masonry and ores."
Karason eyed Hesios up and down. "You mentioned you're from the ocean?" There was an excited glimmer in his eyes "Tell me Hesios, what does a Siren drink? Do ocean folk have ocean bars?" he beamed. A new realm of possibilities unfurled itself in Karason's head, like a thick Dwarven rug.

"Ah, sometimes you've got to go your own way, right Hesios?" He shot Hesios another grin. "My whole family are miners and masons. Someone has to keep thirsty workers fueled up though, so I've picked a somewhat different path." Karason adjusted his bandolier. "How can I be sure what I brew is excellent, with no point of reference? I needed to get out and experience different people, different cultures and of course, different drinks!"

The pair had been moving slowly into the mine for the last minute or two while chatting. Karason had been periodically eyeing the walls, the ceiling and floor of this particular tunnel. It wasn't as shabby as he'd heard human mines were, though neither was it as opulent as Dwarven stonework. To his eyes, it looked almost like a fledgling Dwarven tunnel. Smooth and plain, but sturdy. The foundations of something great were here, just never fully realised. Bright side, it didn't look like the whole place was about to fall down on them. This allayed one of Karason's more pressing concerns.

The reaction wasn't at all what he had expected, and it took Hesios a moment of silence to gather his wits enough to reply.
"That's fine, we're not exactly a sociable lot," he assured the dwarf, relieved beyond all telling that his revelation hadn't been met with shock, horror, or anger.
"Generally the people we interact with we do so on less than…pleasant terms," Hesios admitted, his grimace plainly showing his distaste for such things, "I much prefer this kind of meeting."
Putting a finger to his chin, the siren mulled over Karason's question for a moment, pleased for the change in topic. The sooner they were away from sirens and their traditional occupation, the better.
"Not how landbound people do, from what I understand. We do have gathering areas and such carved out of underwater hills, I suppose you could call them. Or we use natural caverns, and we smooth the walls and decorate them. We don't tend to drink underwater - we get moisture from our food - though I've found I need to drink a lot while I'm walking around."

Nodding, Hesios listened while Karason explained his own reasons for being out and about. He felt not so much vindicated or relieved, but a mix of both, hearing the dwarf echo some of his own reasoning for going his own way, as Karason put it.
"Ah, so that's why you asked if siren's have any bars? Well, like I said, we don't drink a lot, but my people have fermented some sea-plants and such to brew alcohol. Also, there are herbal mixes, combined with some fish-oils and such, that we use as medicines and tonics. Some of those can knock you right out, too." Hesios paused, cocking his head as he recalled what he had in his medical kit, "I have some on me - some antivenom, a basic cold remedy, and a cough mixture. Just common healer-craft, really. I have some other herbs and some ointments for flesh wounds and fevers, but they're not really for brewing."
Was that helpful at all? He hoped Karason could get some use out of the information.

They had moved into the tunnel, Hesios barely noticing thanks to his conversation with Karason. He noticed, however, when the darkness ahead was suddenly broken by a guttering, feeble light. It wasn't a steady one, like he'd expect from a fellow adventurer's lantern, but rather it wavered, as if in a strong breeze - and it moved. It slowly, sluggishly, drifted about ahead of them, side to side, and then upwards, all the while giving off a cold, flickering light,
"D-Do you see that, Karason?" Hesisos stammered, coming to a halt, staring at the light, "What is that?"
He barely dared to breathe, least the cold-light hear, and come towards them. Oh, he should have stayed in the ocean - at least he knew the dangers there!

Karason absorbed the new information and mulled it over in his head. "Fermented sea-plants, eh? I may have to add that to my list and look into it later." He grinned. "As for the medical supplies, fingers crossed, we won't need them. Still, if it comes it, it's good to know we're in safe hands.." Karason hefted the keg once more, while readjusting the strap on his shoulder for better weight distribution. "..and should you need a drink or two while we're down here, don't be afraid to ask. Plenty to go around!"

Hesios's stammered question brought Karason back into the here and now. He squinted at the light source bobbing about ahead of them. "When the caravans spoke of this place and it's history, they did mention it had a bit of necromancy problem back in the day." Karason furrowed his brow. "I recall one mentioning meandering balls of cold light. Said the necromancers had corrupted wandering lost souls.." he paused and turned to Hesios "I can't be certain, not exactly my speciality, but perhaps this is one of those poor undead souls the traders mentioned."

"I tell you what Hesios, why don't I approach the fella and we can figure out if it's dangerous." Karason unslung his backpack and rummaged a hand inside, producing a tankard. He adjusted the tap on the front of his keg and poured a drink "Little liquid courage, fancy one?" He quaffed the entire drink before Hesios could even reply. "Oh don't worry, I have spare tankards if you do." He retrieved a second tankard and was already pouring Hesios a drink before the poor Siren knew what was happening.
"Now, us Dwarven folk are hardy" He handed Hesios the tankard, while pouring himself a second "We have an innate resistance to magic, too much stone in the blood I wager, makes us terrible mages, in fact, we can only really do card tricks, legerdemain.." He tanked the second round, as if drinking water. "If anything happens though, at least you have the medical kit!" He chortled, and with that he ambled towards the light.