On the way to the warehouse, Neeshka ran into one of Leldon's goons and a few additional henchmen. Tremmel, a thug sporting a yellow Mohawk, had been a low level enforcer. Now he was looking to make partner. Bringing in Neeshka's horns was his ticket to the next level.
Unfortunately for him, she was being escorted by Khelgar, Tamil, Jack O'Neal and Teal'c. In the fight's outset half of Tremmel's men were down to Gou'ald energy weapons and those remaining wished they had been that lucky when the dwarf ripped into them followed by the bard. The tiefling barely even had to lift a finger.
It was time for an explanation. Neeshka described her former dealings with Leldon. They had been partners in crime, slipping in and committing heists where less skilled rogues failed or were wise enough not to try. Then, on a particularly impressive score, Leldon decided to take more than his cut and tried to force his way at sword point. The tiefling got her tail, and horns, out of there, but later returned and stole a good portion back. Leldon put a price on her head and she was forced to leave the city.
Tamil expressed his support for the rogue, but suggested they find a way to resolve the issue within the law. They could send watchmen to arrest Leldon. It would be a simple enough matter since the man was a criminal.
"Please, don't get Brelaina involved," Neeshka pleaded. "If we send members of the watch to settle this it will seem like I can't handle myself. No one will ever trust me again." Tamil understood the value of reputation, so asked her how she'd rather handle it. "He's got a soft spot for this special coin. We can steal it from him and that will really unnerve him. He should be pretty easy to deal with after that."
After a little discussion, the group agreed they would let her handle it her own way. Then the group headed over to the warehouse. Jack handed Neeshka a walkie-talkie. "Use this if you get in trouble. Give us a shout on this and we'll come in with weapons drawn to get you out."
The precaution wasn't necessary, but Neeshka greatly appreciated the concern for her safety. When she returned from the warehouse she handed over gifts for her new friends without thinking of holding anything back. At least, with the exception of a few choice gemstones. She was grateful for their friendship, but she wasn't a saint.
With the success of that mission things slowed down for the group. It took some time for the weapons to be distributed. Samantha Carter kept herself busy assembling the components for making a device to store energy to use for recharging all the battery-based technology. To her surprise, the gruff dwarf turned out to be a great help when it came to fabricating the actual items from her designs.
"Eh? What's this? Looks like some flamin' gnomish contraption if ya ask me." He shrugged his head distrustfully after seeing what Sam was working on. "But that ain't too hard to make," he had said and started to manufacture the fine parts using the smithing bench in the room without being asked.
Dr. Carter had to admit he had a good touch for someone who seemed much better suited to breaking things apart than manipulating fine tools. With Khelgar's help the wiring and all the metal work was completed without difficulty. With that taken care of, she could concentrate on creating ceramic molds for receptacles and the non-metal parts of the capacitor.
Daniel quickly ran out of books to read. While each book was thick and had many pages, they were all hand written and the size of the writing was much, much larger than typeset books. "Sam, I'm going to visit that 'wizard' who came into the inn when we first arrived. He may have some books about the area that I can borrow, and I can check on that idea about producing electricity using magical means." Sam nodded and Daniel headed out.
Daniel entered the shop and saw the elf at the back of the shop. The wizard was dressed in a gray robe with interesting patterns. "Hi, Sand, isn't it? I'm Daniel Jackson… one of Tamil's friends… staying with Duncan at the Sunken Flagon…"
"What can I do for you," Sand's honeyed merchant voice greeted Daniel in what sounded to him to be a less than sincere tone.
"I was hoping you had some books you could lend me." At the elf's sour look, Daniel added, "I could pay you a small fee for your trouble and I would return them to you once I finished…"
The merchant's demeanor changed immediately. "I'd be glad to let you look through some of my collection." The elf showed Daniel to a large shelf of books full of writing. A large portion of the books were in a language Daniel did not recognize. At Daniel's inquiry, Sand replied, "Those books? They are written in the elven tongue. I'm afraid they will not be of any use to you."
Daniel looked over the collection with great interest. After a short perusal he noticed a selection that looked familiar to him. "Hey, Sand, aren't these copies of Volotham Gedarm's guide books?"
"Yes, Volo's works have been translated into many languages. I must say you have a good eye for illustrations to spot that." Sand was beginning to take an interest in Daniel.
"You wouldn't happen to have a sort of primer for learning the pronunciation of a standard elven dialect up here would you? Or a description of how the mouth should move to pronounce the sounds?" Daniel asked the latter without any real hope of that wish being fulfilled.
Sand's smile became genuine. "My, my, it seems we have an actual scholar here. I must admit I had not expected to meet another lover of languages from among Duncan's friends." Sand immediately went to a section of his book collection and selected a couple of tomes. He handed them over to Daniel and watched approvingly as Daniel flipped through appraising the book, pausing at crucial sections.
Daniel selected a dozen or so books and walked over to the counter at the back of the room. He started fumbling through his pockets for some gold coins, but Sand held up his hand. "No need for that, Daniel," Sand said in a kind tone. "It's my pleasure to help someone learning about elven languages and society."
Daniel fumbled the words to thank the merchant, truly surprised. Still, he continued to pull out some gold. "Oh, er… wow, really thanks. Uh, Sand, I have another question for you, about magic."
"Oh?" Sand turned and saw the gold set out on the counter.
"Yes, uh, we encountered some wizards who somehow… threw lightning at us. Is there some way to sort of control how much electricity is released? Is there perhaps some sort of a device a wizard, like yourself, could make that could be used to discharge electricity in small amounts?" Daniel explained the purpose of the electrical bursts.
"Yes, that can certainly be arranged." Sand measured the amount of gold Daniel had put on the counter with an appraising glance. "The amount you have there will be more than enough." Sand added in a quiet, almost conspiratorial tone, "In the future, I suggest negotiating first before producing your coin. Not all wizards are as scrupulous as I and many would not hesitate to take advantage of your… trusting nature."
"Great, you can have it delivered to the inn or send someone for me when it's ready," Daniel said. He turned and was about to walk out of the shop when, on an impulse, he turned around once more. "Do you think you could explain how magic works for me? Where I'm from it's not something I can really study."
Sand took a few moments to consider Daniel as well as to decide on his response. "Mm, yes, I think I could explain the basics to you." Sand's eyes looked at Daniel piercingly. "Come over here and take a seat."
Now that he had settled into Neverwinter, Khelgar was intent on getting over to the temple of Tyr. His entire reason for travelling to Neverwinter and joining up with the human bard in the first place had been to find the order of monks that was headquartered in the city and learn the martial arts they practiced. The dwarf had never seen anyone fight as devastatingly as a monk, as he had learned when he had started a fight with one in a tavern and had been promptly trounced.
"I appreciate yer takin' me to see them monks, Tamil," the dwarf said to his friend. She gave him a smile. "I'm bettin' they'll be more inclined to teach me with a member o' the City Watch there with me." The dwarf banged his fists in anticipation. "I been waitin' fer quite a while."
The bard laughed. "They'll be lucky to have you, Khelgar, though I guess you'll find their approach to fighting to be a bit of a surprise to you."
"Would it be acceptable to you, Tamil Farlong, if I accompany you on your visit to the temple?" Teal'c asked the two. "I would like to see these priests and monks." Tamil hesitated a second, remembering how Teal'c had reacted to the priest of Ilmaeter. Seeing the hesitation, Teal'c continued, "Do not worry, I will not seek to upset the priests. I have no wish to cause any difficulty for such a worthy friend as Khelgar Ironfist."
With that pronouncement from the Jaffa, Khelgar outright insisted Teal'c join them. The trio set out for the Merchant Quarter but were interrupted before they got even three steps. Tamil's uncle by adoption, Duncan, was standing on a corner of his inn arguing with three young women wearing the robes of Neverwinter's academy for wizards. Duncan immediately turned to Tamil, demanding she take care of the situation.
"Whatever your problem is, take it elsewhere," Tamil commanded sternly. Two of the young mages haughtily declared that they were wizards of the academy and that they would be taking care of the third girl, Qara, because of her insults. Tamil sighed. Noble born and wizards.
"I don't care who started it, you will not be attacking each other outside of this inn. Take your problems back to your academy and leave the Docks alone." Tamil turned to clearly show her City Watch cloak.
That would have defused the situation, but then the copper brown haired girl opened her mouth and started spewing insults and began bragging. Her comments about how much more powerful she was than the other girls reignited the conflict. The two groups started preparing to hurl spells at each other.
Tamil sighed. Before any of the three began their incantations, Tamil began one of her own. She quietly whispered a few words in the language of the arcane and gestured towards the three wizards. Instantly, the sound of their bickering ceased. For a second, the two wizards threatening the one named Qara continued to move their lips without any sound coming out. Then they turned with their eyes open wide to see Tamil standing there with a smirk on her face and her bow in her hands. They fled in a panic.
"There you go, Duncan," she said without fully looking back. "I guess you can handle it from here?" With that taken care of the three set off again for the temple.
The Temple of Tyr occupied a prominent place along one of the major thoroughfares in the Merchant Quarter, sitting opposite the rear of the City Watch building. It was a large, gated building, and judging by the ornate decorations the clergy was obviously fairly well-off. As the three approached they noticed a number of supplicants entering and leaving the building.
Teal'c carefully observed everything from the moment he stepped within the temple gate. His face remained completely impassive, but he watched everything with great interest. He noticed the way the common folk addressed the priests, the manner in which the priests responded and the rituals of the priests praying.
Khelgar approached a priest named Hlam about training as a monk. The priest explained that anyone seeking to join the order needed to first pass three trials: The Trial of the Evenhanded, The Trial of the Maimed, and the Trial of Justice. The priest expounded on the meaning behind each trial. When Khelgar insisted he was ready to start the trials, Hlam said that each person faced the trials in their own way.
The dwarf was thoroughly nonplussed. Despite the setback, he was determined to meet each of the trials, but had no idea where to start. Tamil gave him some encouraging advice and much needed sympathy concerning the seemingly esoteric nature of the trials. "What a bunch of nonsense! Fight by not fighting?" the dwarf grumbled.
Despite himself, Teal'c was impressed by the doctrines espoused by the temple. He had expected the teachings to be focused on getting worshipers to venerate the deity and follow his commands without question, but instead they focused on principles of justice, loyalty, righteousness, and honor. This did not at all match up with his expectations of the behavior of beings professing to be gods.
"Reverend Hlam, I would speak with you concerning your beliefs," Teal'c asked when Khelgar had moved on. The cleric naturally assented and asked what Teal'c's name was. "My name is Teal'c. I am from a different land. The teachings you have expressed are different from those of the ones claiming to be gods where I am from. While I cannot see myself ever again bowing to another as my god and master, I find your devotion to this god Tyr to be worthy of my respect." Hlam thanked Teal'c for his words.
"I hope you will not be offended by my questions. I am ignorant of the deities of your world. Might I ask why it is that you worship other beings as gods?"
The cleric smiled in reply. "It is a choice that not everyone makes. Tyr teaches what I know to be the truth. I serve his will because I believe it to be the correct course of action, the right way to live. In return for my service, Tyr grants me powers to perform as he would. With Tyr's blessing I can do much good in the world."
Hlam pointed over to a lesser priest ministering to supplicants suffering from disease. The priest spoke a magical prayer and the malady was healed. "Without Tyr's guidance, I believe I would still seek to act as I do now, only with far less ability to achieve good and a far more imperfect understanding of truth."
"I see. That is also quite different from my home." Teal'c spent a few minutes explaining to Hlam about the Gou'ald, the enslavement of the Jaffa, his former position in the army of Apophis as well as his role in seeing the tyrant destroyed. The priest of Tyr listened raptly.
"That is quite a tale, Teal'c. I can sense the truth of your words. You have my greatest respect and sympathy for your many losses at the hands of those false gods." Hlam was clearly sincere. "You did your world a great service by destroying that evil being."
"Thank you for your words, Hlam of Tyr. Again, I mean no disrespect, but I feel I must ask one more question. How do you know the one you worship is the right god, or a god at all? Perhaps he is something like what I have seen in my world, perhaps similar to the Asgard?" Teal'c truly hoped his question would not offend.
The cleric sucked in his breath. "That, Teal'c, is a difficult question for me to answer for you. Like your world, there are evil gods here, and some that while not exactly evil, are certainly not good or kind. Dark gods such as Cyric, Gruumsh, and Lloth spread hate and fear, especially among their followers. But I must admit that they, too, are gods, even if I detest their teachings. It is a question of power and authority and it cannot be denied that they have such power. The difference between them and your 'Gou'ald' is that the power of the false gods you rebelled against was largely illusory and based on deception. You will discover that the gods of this world are no illusion.
"Why Tyr is the one I have chosen to follow is something I have already explained to some extent. However, there is more to it. There is a connection between a priest and his god that runs deeper than the average person who merely pays respect to the gods but does not serve. I expect what I experience is different than what a follower of Cyric would, and their reason for following would likely be different as well. However, choice of deity is a personal matter, and I can understand how the forest elves feel better suited to Corellon Larethian than to Tyr or Lathandar."
Teal'c listened and thanked the priest for his explanations. "Thank you, Hlam of Tyr. You have given me much to think on and a better understanding of your beliefs and the people of this land." Teal'c bowed his head slightly in his usual manner of paying respect. He paused a second, "I hope you will consider the request of Khelgar Ironfist. He is a worthy friend and I believe your order has much that it could teach him, not only about the martial skills."
Hlam smiled. "That is a matter for Tyr to decide, though I will welcome your friend to the Even Handed Order if he passes the trials." The cleric paused for a moment, then bade Teal'c wait for him a moment. Hlam retrieved a book from his quarters and handed it to Teal'c. "This is a copy of some of the sacred writings and prayers of Tyr for you to study if you wish. I finished penning this copy only last week and cannot think of a more worthy person to receive it. Please accept it as a gift from Tyr." The former Jaffa took the book solemnly and promised to read it carefully. "I will pray for you on your travels."
While Teal'c was discussing things with Hlam, Tamil had been talking with Judge Oleff, the head of the temple. Initially they discussed Khelgar's situation, then when that turned out to be unsatisfactory, did some trade. During the discussion and negotiation Tamil noticed the cleric was troubled over something. Oleff had explained that one of their priests had gone missing in the Tomb of the Betrayers and needed rescuing, but the vows of the order prevented anyone from the temple from entering the building except at appointed times.
Tamil went up to Teal'c and explained the situation. "Well, Teal'c, do you think you could convince the rest of SG-1 to come help out with this? With those lightning weapons you have it should be a simple matter to deal with whatever undead problem they have in there. We should also bring Neeshka along to deal with the traps they have there."
"It would be an honor to help rescue a priest of Tyr. I am sure O'Neill will agree to accompany us on this mission," Teal'c said gravely.
Tamil smiled. "This has been a profitable little side trip."
"It has indeed," said Teal'c.
"Harumph!" came Khelgar's complete disagreement.