Brindle bravely leads your bold band westwards, from the chamber of broken bones, through the chamber of broken glass and into the chamber of broken bodies (far more gruesome and odorous than those rooms you have left behind you).

Behind him come Tesseryn and Aurion, then Wrukaog followed by Leisha, Cogwitz and Gratchscartch, while the ex-prisoners Haltashaar, Vashalla, Virdonitii and Moram Infidel Bane (having recovered his precious blade) bring up the rear.

Pronouncing the password, the valiant halfing proceeds through the persistent illusion that covers the opening in the north wall, thus avoiding the pernicious protective wards, to the large chamber beyond (to the west is the or at least a tomb of Mitra, to the east a passage that leads to both the place where Tesseryn found the Heart of Law and the mists that teleported you to the White Tower) where you are greeted, yet again and particularly pleasantly by Omphalos.

"Sssssoo good to sssee you again," the naga sssays politely or perhaps presumptuously.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

"Omphalos, it is such a pleasure to see you again, too!" Brindle greets the guardian naga.

He holds up the temporally-challenged-puppy-in-a-cage for Omphalos to see.

"We are just going to take this little chap along to bask in the radiance of the Heart of Law, aren't we Tesseryn? He has really not been feeling himself lately but I am sure that even a moment in the presence of such a wondrous source of goodness will perk him right up again!"

Wrukaog yawns.

"Just hurry it up, will ya? Smashing all those skeletons and zombies was fun but there wasn't enough of 'em for me to really work up a sweat. I wanna go find some more baddies to fight!" he complains to Brindle.

OOC: existential crisis averted, yay!  An new thread and assured existence for another thousand posts.  Thanks Skald :-)
This leaves only the moral and ethical turmoil to be resolved.

"By all means, Brindle, take the puppy.  But I will not return to the Heart of Law." Tesseryn replies flatly to Brindle.  "I've no wish to face her disappointment.  And you should consider the wisdom of carrying that back in there ... " he gestures towards Brindle's belt pouch, "... the Lady asks much."

He takes off his ring and gives it to Aurion. "Should I not return, you'll know what to do with this."

He nods his greeting to the Naga, "Omphalos." and clanks determinedly through the open doors on the left.

Curious as ever, Aurion moves towards the door on the right. "A halfling seeking to tip the balance of good and evil by taking a magic item to a place of power... this I've got to see." He follows Brindle when he's ready.

Brindle looks a bit puzzled by Tesseryn's words. He glances down at the spell component pouch on his belt and shrugs. He unclips the pouch and pops it into his haversack. Then Aurion's words make him grin.

"When you say it like that, it sounds like something out of a bard's tale of noble deeds and brave adventure. I can't wait to hear how it ends!"

He turns to Leisha next.

"Leisha, you went too see the Heart of Law when we came here before, didn't you? Do you want to come with me too, or have you any words of advice for me before I go?" he asks her.

Leisha regards Brindle curiously, as if the halfling is working up to some hilarious jest.

"The Heart of Law, you say?" she frowns. "The gem that Tesseryn had stuck to his forehead ?" she continues.

"The one you wrapped up and put in your pocket?"

While discussion continues concerning the gem that is named the Heart of Law, the effects of too much radiance on magically slept puppies and the urgent need for some more smiting, Tesseryn formally hands the Lion Ring to Aurion then strides, determinedly and with heavy tread and heavier heart, westwards to the Tomb of Mitra.

In the chamber beyond, the ex-Paladin turns away from the stone lion statue to the north, towards the dais to the south and the old man who sits upon the throne thereon.

Meeting the man's kindly gaze, Tesseryn steps forwards to pick up his helm that stands on the stone before the throne, then turns away. 

Without, Omphalos is somewhat confused by Brindle's declared intent.

"Isss that not a ... puppy ?" the Guardian asks.

Brindle looks even more puzzled as Leisha adds another piece to the mental jigsaw he is trying to piece together. He pats his pockets then pulls out and unwraps the gem she mentioned.

"Is that what this is?" he asks.

He takes solace from the thought that at least he knows something Omphalos doesn't know.

He sets the cage down on the floor in front of him.

"The guards who were keeping watch on this cage said it isn't really a puppy at all. They claimed it is really a bronze dragon that was the companion of the priest of Mitra. They said it transformed itself into a puppy to escape but was then captured with a sleep spell and locked in this little cage. There is a powerful spell of temporal stasis cast on the cage, so the puppy never wakes up. I heard that magic doesn't work in the chamber of the Heart of Law, so I figure if I place the cage in that chamber the puppy will be able to wake up and change itself back into a dragon again and go back to helping the priest of Mitra.

"Well, that's what I hope will happen, anyway."

He looks at the naga for a moment before speaking again.

"But I suppose you are going to tell me why that's not such a great idea after all?" he asks.

"More importantly," Tesseryn interjects, marching out of Mitra's Tomb, "I have my helmet back!" He gleefully holds aloft the helm (the one with the weird Phillips-head indents as shown in his previous paladin portrait) then cradles it under his arm looking pleased with himself.

OOC: has Tesseryn finally performed a chaotic act?  Refusing to help with the quest; taking back an offering because he wanted the thing back; looking a lawful god in the eye and saying nothing!  Are we there yet?

"A bronzzzze dragon ?  Then that issss Murkaganth ?" the naga exclaims in surprise.  "It wassss thought he perisssshed ccccenturiessss ago when the Dark Tower rosssse."

"If he can be woken from hissss ssssleep, it would be a great boon to the White Tower ..."

"... but the placccce where you gained sssstewardssssship of the Heart of Law," Omphalos inclines his head towards the gem in Brindle's hands, "does not ssssuppressssssssss magic."

He considers a moment before he speaks again.

"However ... it is possssssssible that the one who did thissss to him would be able to free him.  You sssspoke of guardssss - do you know who their masssster issss ?"

OOC: For the record, Tesseryn has definitely erred on the side of Chaos.  :>

"The guards came from the village up top of here, but their leader said it was Haffrung who put the puppy to sleep and fashioned this cage to keep it asleep. How are we supposed to persuade someone like him to release the dragon?" Brindle replied.

"Did you say Murkaganth vanished centuries ago? That would mean Haffrung is centuries old, too! What is he?" he wondered aloud