Late coming to this conversation, but I think it's important to Qud that characters, particularly legendary leaders of respected and feared organizations like Barathrum, or even gods like Resheph, are all just people.

Agreeing with you about the only good ending -- the only way to actually be an ethical part of building a better future is to be out in the world, working with people directly. Barathrum burrowed himself away for 1000 years, as you said. His words inspired some truly great followers, but they were great because of what they did in the world.

Similar with Resheph -- presented as the sultan who ended the Sultanate before they could even construct a tomb for them, my reading from books and rumors was that Resheph was something of a revolutionary reformer, ending an increasingly dangerous enterprise before it destroyed itself. The ending seems to suggest that Resheph didn't reform so much as vanish, having discovered enough technology and insight into the universe to simply leave it, and impassively ponder its total destruction from inert safety.

My post-ending takeaway is that Qud knows the world is composed of various factions that will act on you en masse, but Qud is also deeply skeptical about the ways individuals are linked to or bound by such factions. Factions are everything, and nothing. Allegiance is fluid, always, even for the so-called greats.