Redemption thread

Time for a thread dedicated to the redemptions of bad guys.

Here's a story from one of my campaigns. Spoilers for Age of Worms ahead.

>we get to Wormcrawl Fissure, hunting for the dracolich Dragotha
>playing a NG necropolitan dread necromancer (DM lifted the alignment restriction)
>get to Dragotha's lair
>decide "fuck it, let's give something crazya try"
"Mr. Dragotha, sir, we have your phylactery. You have the power to kill us all, but we'd be able to smash it first. We should come to some agreement."
>hold up phylactery
>Dragotha hisses
>"Very well. But make it quick. I am not patient, little undead."
"I propose that we give you your phylactery, and promise to leave you alone as long as you leave the world alone. In return, you will help us against Kyuss."
>"Impossible, out of the question," he snarls. "Even if I wanted to, I cannot. I am bound by magic to serve Kyuss forever."
1/2

"Then that only compounds the tragedy," I say sympathetically. "You are not a favored servant--you are nothing more than his most powerful slave."
>Dragotha roars. "YOU DARE CALL DRAGOTHA, SECOND-IN-COMMAND TO KYUSS AND FORMER CONSORT OF TIAMAT, A SLAVE!?"
>DM has me roll a Diplomacy check
>17, phew
"I did not mean to disrespect Your Magnificence. I only meant to show you what you have not let yourself see: that Kyuss has used you, and when he comes into the world he will discard you like a forgotten toy."
>see Dragotha building into another rage
"And I offer you another way. A gift greater than gold or power or rulership: Freedom. The freedom to dictate where you will go, who you will fight, how you shall rule over your lands, and what you shall spend your eternity of unlife on."
>"It cannot be done," he growls. "The binding magic is too strong to break."
"Assuming it can be broken, would you be willing to hunt down the traitorous Lashonna and defeat Kyuss?"
>gnashes his teeth
>"If you would break my ensl--binding, and return my phylactery, then you have a deal."
"I would be happy to return your phylactery after Kyuss is defeated."
>"Deal," he forces out. "Do it."
>talk with wizard
>wizard says, "I wish for Dragotha to be instantly and totally freed from Kyuss's control and influence, while not suffering any sort of harm, and futhermore for this freedom to last forever and for him to gain immunity to all of Kyuss's control and influence."
>DM seems impressed
>"Reality shimmers, and then returns to normal. Dragotha lets out an ear-splitting roar. "KYUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS! YOU TRICKED ME! I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB AND BURN YOUR WORMS TO ASHES!"
>One of the Avolakia high priests comes in. "My Lord? Are you alright? Ready to go to the ritual to summon Kyuss?"
>Dragotha just fucking eats him in one bite
>turns to us, eyes blazing in fury
>"Let us go. I have two traitors to slowly and painfully kill."

Most players only think about redemption if the villain is a woman. If she's young and sexy, there's literally no crime to heinous for them to forgive.

You speak of a myth.

Hands, once soiled, can never be clean again.

Only fools think the powers that be will forgive.

My favorite redemption story was the one where the (female) paladin/sorc reformed, over the course of a campaign, an erinyes.

Of course, that was only one small part of the campaign, which sounded pretty crazy for a mid-level 3.x homebrew. I always wondered how it ended.

Then I am blessed with players which redeemed an ugly demon man.

If my GM could run one competent fucking game without a) cutscene-ing every major engagement b) fist-fucking the lore until it bleeds to death and c) constantly promising the huge power he just hands the players will dick them over eventually and then never delivering, then maybe I could actually have a story to share about that, but no...

I pity the man who's lords and gods are so heartless and blind.

Forgive what is forgivable; help guide those that had strayed. Those without redemption, grant an end fitting of their crimes. Justice does not lie in an extreme or either mercy or retribution.

Not really. If someone's an evil bastard, if he's responsible for the death of hundreds / thousands, he's still going to die. Redemption in this case is pointless, because the rights of his victims means a lot more than whatever his personal redemption is going to accomplish.

He's still getting an axe to the head.

If the villain honestly regrets their actions, then they can still do good with their lives and those good actions may be weighed against them when they meet their final judgement.

Even if you do not believe they deserve the chance to better their standing in the final assaying of their soul, there is a greater picture to consider; the overall condition of the world may be improved by their willing actions in the service of good.