"I - no - I do not mean - it is, just..." Leareth has no idea how to finish that sentence, because he's currently inundated in emotions that are a lot more complex and mixed than he had realized. Also it's stupid of him not to have thought of this, once he knew that resurrection was possible...

He's spent two thousand years remembering Urtho as a friend. But Urtho died thinking of them as enemies. What would he think, dragged back into the present, a world unimaginably different?

- would he ever want to speak to his former student Ma'ar again? Would he want to keep fighting him? 

"He betrayed you and destroyed the whole world trying to murder you, yeah. It really can wait."

Leareth finds his voice. "...That is - not entirely what I meant. I mean, he did," and he's startled to find that it still hurts, thinking of it now with this new context that makes it feel bright and nearby again, "but - I am not angry, anymore, I understand better why he made the choices he did. What I did wrong. And it would be wrong to deny him returning to life just on my behalf."

He lifts his head, manages to meet Khemet's eyes. "He was my first teacher. I - I miss him - I have spent centuries wishing I could undo what happened. That I could tell him I never wanted him to die - if I were in that situation again I would surrender, it was not worth it, he - he was wrong but that did not make me right, I was so young and stupid. And - he died fighting me, and he would probably never wish to speak to me again if you resurrected him, so I am not sure what I am hoping for there, really." 

"Forever is a very long time. I know of - greater griefs, that have been mended, in that kind of time. But we should probably assume that he will not want to talk to you right away and should maybe be stuck somewhere where he cannot do anything about you running a country, as I take it is the plan."

...Leareth nods, slowly. "Aroden has not actually asked me yet, but - given how it went, I imagine his plan is to go for the Starstone as soon as Cheliax is moderately stable, and if I were him I would leave the other me as the human ruler. And, yes, I think Urtho would have some objections there. I suppose you could ask if Valdemar wants him." 

"I am not sure the Velgarth gods want him back there, and I want him to die the next time in our universe where the afterlives can catch him. Unless they think he's Evil, which I guess they quite reasonably might. - you're not, by the way. Did anyone tell you? Lawful neutral, like Aroden."

"Really! No, nobody has gotten around to telling me, perhaps it was recent. I am very relieved that worked. And, you are probably right that he ought not be in Velgarth. I...am not sure if your afterlives would judge him as Evil. He caused many harms in the world, but - in the name of stopping what he believed were greater ones, and he did not murder children to wear their bodies like a skin, so he does not have that to compensate for."

Leareth grimaces slightly. "I really hope Aroden can help me figure out a different method before this body dies of old age, I do not want to have to personally fight Asmodeus every lifetime so that I can get to neutral." 

"I don't suppose there's any way to arrange to make sure they're kids here? Who you could maybe raise afterwards?"

"- Interesting. I suppose True Resurrection might work for that, though it would be an uncomfortable first test. I suppose if nothing else I could rework the spell slightly to be only descendants of this body, instead of Ma'ar's, and then...father a number of children..." Leareth does not seem enthused about this project at all. 

His face is so sympathetic. "I really really hate fathering lots of children, it's horrible. There are some ways to live forever in a single body, though if Aroden doesn't know them I can't imagine who would."

"I mean, he did, in the centuries before his ascension - his method that resembles mine was the original one, and still existing as a backup. I am just not sure if it would work for me without my investing decades in becoming a powerful wizard or something, as though I do not already have enough kinds of magic to deal with."  

Nod. "If I were you I'd want descendants on as many planets as possible anyway, now that we know there are lots of planets. But - I do understand the reasons that would not appeal." Gesture. 

"Yes, I should do it." Sigh. "Why is it that your resurrection does have a time limit, anyway? Apparently this did not come up in any of my past discussions. Do your people's souls go elsewhere after a time?" He shudders very slightly. "I suppose if they go to Abaddon they are generally eaten, or destroyed for fuel, at which point I assume they can no longer be raised." 

"They change over time. Eventually they're too different for the spell to recognize. And yes, if they're destroyed they can't be raised, which can happen from any of the afterlives but happens pretty uniformly in Abaddon."

Leareth nods. "I really do not like Abaddon." 

"I don't think anyone likes Abaddon. Pharasma goes out of her way not to send them their souls."

"I wonder if it is possible to destroy an afterlife plane. Or - at least block it, I suppose, prevent any souls from going there. And rescue the souls already there. It sounds very, very hard, but..." Leareth trails off. Shrugs slightly. He's not giving up just because it sounds impossible. 

"I have learned my lesson about telling you I don't think something can be done."

"I have the impulse to give advice but of course you have been running countries for much longer than I have. Do ...let me know if there's anything I can do to help, though? I know that a lot of the work of taking Cheliax back is ahead, and it's a lot."

"I will do that. I appreciate - everything, you have done so far, it has mattered a great deal." He looks away, briefly. "And - if you do in fact return Urtho to life, even if he never wishes to speak to me, words cannot convey how much it would mean to me."

Nod. 

"Then I will certainly have to. Because I find myself rather wordless about all of the last month, and had better repay the favor."

Leareth nods as well, serious. He can't think of anything else they definitely ought to discuss - his mind is mostly busy having emotions about Urtho, which is inconvenient of it - so he waits to see if the pharaoh will dismiss him. 

He has noticed the distraction. "You can go. When you have a bit more time, I'd like us to sit down with some of my advisors and compare notes about economics, but there's no hurry on that either."

"That is an excellent idea." Leareth stands up. "Perhaps I can send a message to arrange when is a good time, rather than showing up by surprise as I have been doing lately."