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An adventuring party recruited from Osirion teleports into Azir on the 8th of Desnus. Rahadoum's recruiting contact in Osirion wrote ahead to note they were expected. Couple of guys he's known a long time - a wizard, a ranger - and a new guy, sorcerer, probably to replace the cleric they usually travel with. They spend two days in Azir getting oriented and head out to the front. The ranger wears an unusually high quality amulet of Nondetection; the sorcerer wears a headband for intelligence, which is a bit unusual as sorcerers usually don't need it to cast, but some variants do; they are otherwise unremarkable. Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, no reading, which could mean neutral or 'hiding it'. They work quickly and effectively, manage resources reasonably well, get recommended to higher-ups for a closer look on that account.
"He is a cleric of Abadar, yes. Many people pray to several gods. Gods do not usually answer - it's not easy for them to make it safe for us to speak to them, and they have other things that demand their attention - but this situation is unusual, and Iomedae - the Good god I spoke of - is very invested in Cheliax's future. She is an ascended human, and was Chelish once herself."
"Interesting."
Urtho is quietly thoughtful, for almost a minute.
"I do wish to speak to him," he says finally. "It will weigh on my mind until I do. I had wanted to ask him some questions using my truth magic, but - if he is chosen by your god, surely that ought say enough about who he is."
"Abadar cannot misjudge someone's character, and I trust in where He'll guide him," he agrees. "I can let Leareth know that you'd like to speak with him. - I'm glad. I think it will mean a lot to him."
Urtho nods. "I think that I owe him that much, at the very least. Thank you for your time."
He waits to be dismissed. He's suddenly kind of embarrassed about waking up on a sofa in front of a pharaoh and having no idea who he was at the time.
It's now the second day after the fight for the Heartstone. Leareth's headache lasted all of the day before and finally, sometime in the middle of the night, eased enough for him to sleep. At which point he promptly slept six hours straight, which is completely ridiculous for someone with a Ring of Sustenance but apparently he needed it.
His head feels a lot clearer and he made it out of bed to eat breakfast but, as promised by Melody, he's still pretty exhausted and not feeling up for any complicated work. He's back in bed, reading.
He smiles tiredly at the pharaoh. Doesn't get out of bed to prostrate himself on the floor because one, that seems ridiculous, and two, the floor is all the way over there.
Leareth just stares at him for a while, unable to find words.
"Really?" he says finally. "That is - I did not..." He brings both hands to his forehead.
"It's sooner than I expected. I'm pleased with him. I can put him off, if you'd rather it wait until you're more recovered."
"It seems important to him, not only to me. I - am absolutely going to cry or something if I do it now, my emotions are being very odd, Nayoki thought it was a normal aftereffect and will go away. That may not be a good first impression, but - if you think it would do him good to speak with me sooner, I feel able to do it as long as you are there."
"I think you are the one who has been - waiting two thousand years, in a sense - and if you'd like to give it another week I can explain the reason and he won't take it too badly. I do think he's going to want to do this before he figures out his next goals. I can stay, if you'd like, though isn't your world fanatically opposed to men sleeping together for stupid reasons?"
“Not everywhere, I think Tantara was not especially opposed. Also we do not need to tell him we are sleeping together, it is not as though we are going to do it in front of him. He can assume what he wishes.”
"I guess we can try to be subtle. Do you want to do it today or tomorrow, then, with me also attending?"
Nod. "I'll let him know."
And he arranges for someone to tell Urtho that Leareth (Ma'ar) is recuperating from injuries sustained setting up something for Abadar which another god was opposed to, but can see him tomorrow.
Leareth is feeling almost back to normal the next morning, and confirms he is as ready as he's ever going to be to see Urtho.
"Ma'ar." Urtho seems unsure how much it's okay to smile. "Though I hear you go by Leareth now. The Kaled'a'in word?"
"For the night sky and the stars," Leareth confirms. "Though apparently in the interim, the Tayledras dialect shifted, and the word it sounds closest to simply means 'darkness', which is not really the aesthetic I was going for although people say it is fitting."
Urtho seems unsure what to say, so he just nods, and sits down across from Leareth. "I hope you are feeling better today? And - I came to say, that I... That knowing what I do now about your actions recently, I think that it is likely I misjudged your intentions back then as well, and - betrayed you, and caused so much harm in my mistakes."
Leareth bows his head, he wants to say something, feels like he owes Urtho at least a graceful response to an apology he's had much, much less time to mull over, but he can't force the words out.
"I should have surrendered. It took me some centuries to - admit it, because - I still think that I was not in the wrong, but...but it was not worth it, and in the end it is the consequences of my actions and not the intent that matter."
"- It was not your fault, Ma'ar– Leareth. That is what I just said. I made a mistake. I regret it deeply."
"You are a good person, Urtho. You were doing your best to figure out the right thing to do, and - it was complicated - and we managed to steer our way to disaster, but it was not all on you. What you did was very understandable, even predictable, though I lacked the experience to see it."