The battle at the Mirabar Underdark Gate courtyard.

The battle at the Mirabar Underdark Gate courtyard. It just rolls off the tongue!

As the party left the underdark roads to return to Mirabar they witnesses a small traveling underdark circus have their main attraction break loose. The giant ape Ajax ripped his way from the tend with two circus worker duergar dead in his hands.

To describe the area:

Mirabar's Underdark Courtyard Gate is aprox 300' wide and 100' deep and 40' tall in most area. Some small fires in grates provide a little light, but mostly are used to regulate heat in the cold underdark caves. There is a large stalactite on the west side of the chamber that is enchanted to put off something similar to daylight at dusk. On the north side a gate is carved into dense stone and there are fortified small doors along the edged of the gates with slits where crossbows can be fired from the thin openings if needed.

To the east of the courtyard is a large ruined circus tent. It is red with green lines and lightning bolts painted into the cloth. 2 dead duergar are by the tents edge. Several Svirfneblin are scrambling around looking for cover behind smaller tents and crates. There are moving shapes under the collapsed tent indicating some occupants were trapped when it fell. The party saw the gaping hole where the main attraction Ajax broke loose and began rampaging. A tall skinny form in heavy, folded, baby blue robes and a floppy hat wears a comical mask with a painted line face showing surprise. It is a tall form, possibly elven [nope], is seen gesturing with exaggeratedly large gloved hands and beckons for help pointing to a dwarven cleric in red robed slowly belly crawling out from under the tent edge. The dwarf is clearly injured [Cleric Rhysand of the church of Abbathor]. 

The party did not look to the west, but if they had they would have seen a small market of tents and kiosks seem abandoned. They would have seen some feet protruding from under stalls indicating where some of the market occupants have gone. Several valuable items were available to be seen on the kiosks and were not being attended to. 

The party entered the chamber from the south and were near three guardsmen, Axes of Mirabar, who started raising stone pillars from recesses in the entry way. These seem to be designed to prevent any large object entry to the cave courtyard. Several dwarves and gnomes rush past to huddle in the cave beyond behind the guards and the pillars. Although the pillars are designed to keep large objects out, they would also serve to keep Ajax contained. 

To the North the giant ape seemed to have obtained a large hammer and was using it to fight guardsmen and also was trying to cave in the gates with surprising efficiency. The aps was contested by 3 guards, Axes of Mirabar, who are using battle-axe looking Halberds to try and drive the ape away from the gate. The giant ape was wearing a black studded leather harness with broken chains dangling at his side. He has a few Crossbow bolts in his side, but they don't seem to have slowed him much. The Cleric Rhysand [strong normal voice] cant walk. The battle hammer was his. It does +d4 necrotic damage and if it ever does 5 or more necrotic damage in a single attack it imposes 2 level of exhaustion to the target. Rysand was crit twice by the ape and is in bad condition at level 4 exhaustion. He looked scarred from the necrotic damage and had broken legs. "I feel horrible! The ape.. [Rhysand looks further along the chamber at the ape] he has my hammer. It is quite dangerous. Don't let it hit you!" 

As the party divided to help the cleric Rhysand and to challenge the ape, screams from the entry tunnel to the south were heard and were followed by fleeing refugees. After then came skeletons. The non combatants made is difficult for the guards to hold them back and 6 skeletons got through. They initiated a fog by throwing chemicals in the fire grates. When the skeletons were defeated they dropped red rubies from their skulls which turned out to be fire beetle eggs. These eggs hatched and swarms of bugs came toward the city.

Notable actions taken were that Thurig Metaltounge successfully seduced the ape, who immediately moved the charming dwarf behind it protectible. Also, the party noted that the ape was afraid of the tent, and later upon reflection the mime, and all of the skeletons equally. This led the party to wonder if the mime might not have been a skeleton in disguise. The ape crashed to through the city gate fleeing to safety with Thruig. The skeleton survivors and fire beetles entered the city with clouds of fog. The ape deposited Thruig in a safe spot and fled into the city depths.

After the fight, the party sought trainers. VerhaalÓinarthos Earthtongue was trained by Thrain Stonehammer, an Axe of Mirabar. Thruig was trained by a rogue named Thistle Underfoot. The rogue is part of a thieves guild that keeps a coffee shop as a front for their hide out on the city surface. Korein Earthrounge sought the training from a druid named Durin Stoneforge. Lassra Earthtongue Trains with clerics of the church of Abbathor. There is a clerics of Diancecht named Siboahan in the upper city. They are known as an herbalist in town. Vondal Earthtounge worked with Dulgon to train as a wizard. VerhaalÓinarthos Earthtongue does visit Dulgon at his library and as seen in a prior vision it catches fire and burns all of the books. Dulgon does mention that there are family books in a vault miles away in the high mountain mines. 

Later, after training, the party meets at Runic's bar for a family dinner and solves a minor puzzle with a caged Goblin Fing'biter. The rude goblin is in a care of forced truth and is unpleasant to the customers. Runic runs of to get a non magical cage and the party sees the outer area as being foggy. When the party realizes Runic should have long since returned they look outside to see heavy fog and hear an eerie scream.