Note: in the last chapter, Daniel was supposed to say: "…There was once a scribe in ancient Roman history named Adiran. It's a Latin name for of the Adriatic." … so yeah, Adriatic, not Adriac. The correction is also below for those who chose to skip this note.
Also, I'm not sure if SG-1 has been to that Hell-like place… I'm not sure… but I think it happened in "Demons" (season 3, episode 8). I also refer to Linnea and "Prisoners" (season 2, episode 3).
After a while, Daniel snapped his fingers. "Now I remember! There was once a scribe in ancient Roman history named Adiran. It's a Latin name for 'of the Adriatic'."
Everywhere there was silence, and in the lack of noise, SG-1 realized that there were many cells there… and people who had heard them talking.
Daniel looked around. "What?"
………
After a while, Adiran moved closer to him. Now that their eyes were more adjusted to the light—or rather to the dark—SG-1 could tell that Adiran had been beaten, sustaining several bruises to his chin, cheek, and now-bare arms, having been stripped of his robes. "What know you of the Adriatic?"
Daniel adjusted his glasses. "What do you know of it?"
"No, you talk. Tell me what you know."
"Well… Where we come from, there is a sea between three lands known as Italy—which was the home of ancient people called the Romans—Croatia, and Albania. In Latin, it was known as Mare Hadriaticum, named after the Roman city of Hadria, but the name originally referred to the upper portion of the sea. It was used by the ancient Romans to transport objects to the Roman port of Ostia, where the items would then be sold, distributed, and used in various places across Rome."
Jack yawned. "Fascinating. So what does it mean?"
"It means that the name of Adriatic carried some significance over to this world when it was populated by the Goa'uld… By the way, which world are we on?"
"Lord Februus has named it in honor of himself, Februua. But our people call it Nevonda. Now please, what else know you of the Adriatic?"
Jack shifted uneasily. Something was off. "Why the interest?"
Adiran moved in closely to whisper to the team. "Seek Duke."
Jack looked around the cell. "Uh… In case you didn't notice, we're kinda locked up."
"What? No… this isn't a prison like that. Do you see a locked door?"
The team looked around and Jack scratched his head. "Now that you mention it… no…"
"I can understand why you thought that. With all the garbage down here, sometimes it can look like a cage."
The team got up and roamed around. The prison was less of an organized group of holding cells, but rather a giant cavern where they dump non-biodegradable trash and the unruly, unbelieving 'heathens'. After asking many people, who were obviously too afraid to answer, as to the whereabouts of this Duke person, Jack sighed loudly in frustration and massaged the back of his neck with his right hand. "Why does this place remind me of hell…"
"It reminds me of that lovely little prison planet we were on recently," stated Daniel.
"You mean the one with Linnea?"
"Yeah. That's the one."
Jack shuddered. "Let's hope not."
"You know of the Adriatic. You seek Duke."
SG-1 turned around to find a grimy woman. They hadn't even noticed her there. Teal'c slightly inclined his head. "Indeed."
The woman stood up and dusted off the rags that fractionally passed for clothes. "I am Necia. Follow me." She led them further into the cavern and up to a man in a corner. "Sum diluculo ex noctis. Flumen transportus meo lumen de subter terra fulgit in nos solum iterum."
As she was talking, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c turned to Daniel. "It's Latin… with very bad grammar… but I understand what they're trying to say…" he whispered. "I am the dawn out of night. The river carries my light from beneath the earth to shine in our land once more."
The burly man walked over to the team. He towered even over Teal'c. He stood there for a moment, as if expecting something.
Finally speaking up, Jack asked, "You Duke?"
The burly man shook his head.
"Who are you?"
The burly man glared at him.
"Well, I'm Jack, and this is Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c. We're from a planet called Earth. We came though the big metal circle—"
"Oribis Pius," corrected Daniel.
"—and we wanna tell you that Lord Febrwhatever and Isis really aren't gods—"
The burly man silence Jack by raising his hand. "I am Gregory. Follow me." Leaving Necia, SG-1 followed Gregory to another man in a corner. Gregory repeated the same broken-Latin phrase from earlier, and Mark walked to the team. "What know of you of the Adriatic."
Jack looked at Daniel, who replied, "Nothing of your world, but in our world it is a great sea of importance. You see—"
Jack cut in, "Are you Duke?"
"No. I am Mark. Follow me." Leaving Gregory, they followed Mark to another man in yet another corner and once more listened to the broken-Latin phrase. The new man walked over to them. "What do you seek?"
"We seek Duke. That you?" Jack was getting rather annoyed.
"No. I am Kasen—"
"Wait… Don't tell me… Follow you?"
"First, why do you seek Duke?"
Daniel sighed. "Because we were told he could tell us about the Adriatic. We don't know what it is, only that it's important. And that he's important."
"And that Febrwhatever and Isis aren't really gods," added Jack with a you're-pissing-me-off smile.
"Follow me."
Next they were led to a woman, with a clean appearance, bright blue eyes, and brown hair. "I am Aminta. What do you want." Her voice was curt and precise.
Teal'c cut off what Jack was about to say. "We wish to discover information about the Adriatic. We are from another world. We came through the Oribis Pius. We wish to tell you that your gods are false."
SG-1 looked at Teal'c in surprise, and he just raised his brow. Jack nodded, looking confidant. "That's right," he stated emphatically.
"Follow me." With a moan from Jack, a sigh from Daniel, Sam clearing her throat and massaging her neck, and… well… the usual silence from Teal'c, they obliged.
After quite a while, Sam noticed that they were going rather far into the cavern, that they hadn't seen anyone other than Kasen and Aminta since first seeing Kasen, and that they were gradually going downhill. She whispered her observations to Jack, who nodded, passing the information onto Daniel, who passed it on to Teal'c.
"You need not worry," expressed Aminta politely, if coarsely. They went around another bend… and came to the end of the cavern. Another woman stepped out of the shadows.
Jack cleared his throat. "You're not Duke, are you?"
"No. I am Vesta."
Jack, Sam, and Daniel moaned. Teal'c actually let out a faint sigh, though none heard it.
"But I will take you to him."
Jack who had drooped his head in frustration, popped it back up. "You will!"
"Yes."
"No questions?"
"No questions."
"Yes!"
Without another word, Vesta pulled a necklace out of her shirt and pulled the necklace over her head. Upon it was a small, red gem. To Carter, it looked like a miniature control crystal. With it, she traced many small figures lightly onto the stone wall behind her. And to SG-1's amazement… the wall began to move.
"Follow me."
They walked through the secret door and into a long and curve corridor. A man with grey and brown hair and bright blue eyes walked around the corner. "I am Duke, the leader of the Adriatic."
Jack raised a finger in question. "You're not a 'Destroyer of Worlds', are you? Because we know this other prison leader named Linnea—"
Sam hit him hard in the arm, silently telling him to shut up.
Utter confusion was in Duke's face. "Umm… No… Can't say that I am… But I am well aware of who you are, Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c. And of your views of the gods. Please… follow me."
Note: and yes, Duke is a traditional Latin name stemming from the Latin word "ducis", meaning 'leader'. Gregory is also a traditional Latin name meaning 'vigilant watch'. Same with Mark meaning "defender".
And if you're interested in the Latin phrase from above, it's roughly pronounced "Soom deeloocooloh ex noktis. Floomehn transportus meoh (soft e) loomen deh soobtehr tehr foolgit in nohs soloom eetehrum"
And to those who speak Latin, I know the grammar is horrible. It makes me cringe too. But that's the point, okay?