Repentence

[maraudar]

Has anyone ever ran or perhaps thought about what would happen if one of the Darklords should actually actively repent thier past crimes? What would be the outcome? How would the DP's react to one of thier pets trying to escape through non-violent means? How would a Darklord be able to overcome the evil that pervades thier souls? What kind of atonement would be required? Thought I would throw that out. Working graveyard gives way too much time to think ...


Maraudar

[Jakob]

Well... Since I see repentance for a "simple" failed Powers Check as a taxing and looooong process, I think the repentance of a darklord something REALLY epic*.
...
It would mean something like giving life/unlife/power for someone they really love o to purge the land from a great evil (for example: Azalin giving ALL of his arcane power for ALL eternity to restore Irik's life, or Gabrielle Aderre CONSCIOUSLY sacrfing herself to save Lucita from Malocchio, killing him in the process...).
Something that happens ONCE IN ETERNITY.

* By "epic", of course, I don't mean something only a 34th Wizard could do.

[Sorti]

Azalin giving ALL of his arcane power for ALL eternity to restore Irik's life, or Gabrielle Aderre CONSCIOUSLY sacrfing herself to save Lucita from Malocchio, killing him in the process...
Something that happens ONCE IN ETERNITY.

Well, probably unlikely, but it would be SO fascinating... I could even insert something like this in my campaign...

[Rotipher of the FoS]

While external sacrifice and heroism would certainly be necessary -- and it has to be legitimate sacrifice, too; if Strahd "heroically" stepped into sunlight to confront a monster that was about to devour Tatyana, but fully expected the DPs and/or his own Contingency spells to ensure he'd survive the experience, that does NOT count! -- I think that the mental side of redemption would be even more critical. That is, it's not enough that a darklord do something so good that it outweighs all the evil they've done in the past; they have to admit they were wrong -- the REAL sticking-point, for virtually every darklord -- and make the commitment to turn away from their own past imoral decisions. Saving Tatyana would never suffice for Strahd's redemption, but if he could just admit to himself that his "love" was nothing of the kind -- else, how could he possibly have chosen to cause her such grief...? -- and that he'd never had any right to force her choice, that'd do more to shed his darklord-status than a thousand heroic deeds.

[Mad Skipper]

I never meant the following to include Dark Lords, but you most certainly could include them.

"The Repentant

Few are those who walk this realm unscathed by sin. Lying, stealing, cheating, adultery; all these things and more mar the lives of countless individuals, their families, and communities.

Members of various clergies make it their mission to help save these souls, to help them atone for their sins. But for some, not even their divine wisdom can heal.

There are those who take the back road in Life, the road of the selfish. Hired killers, unscrupulous thieves, dealers of illicit goods, sinners all. All walk this lightless path as avatars of Death and Destruction. Content with existing in the gutters of society and leeching off of it however they see fit, they think themselves in full control.

But, ultimately, not even they notice the bread crumbs left by the Powers of Darkness.

Over time, the most sinister of sinners--the Cursed--find themselves with powers that seemingly set them above all others. But as time ticks on they discover the second blade of Truth: power, the bribe they accepted from the Powers of Darkness, comes with a price. That price? Their very souls; something that many of these miscreants are more than willing to sacrifice.

Others, however, aren't willing to pay that price. And just as Innocence and Pestilence inevitably meet at a dark crossing of roads, there is the scattered soul who wishes to again change their ways; to regain all that was once good and pure, and walk back the trodden road.

Longing for that nearly forgotten light of Innocence, they are possessed with a near-psychotic desire to redeem themselves by becoming the bane of all that is Evil. And having lived a life of sin only empowers these souls--the Repentant--granting them the uncanny ability to seek out and destroy that which refuses salvation; those creatures that they were very close in becoming.

But with the weight of the moral world upon their shoulders, these individuals face an uphill battle.

The sins, the crimes of these people are rarely forgotten and never forgiven, most especially by themselves. And it is that self-loathing that forever keeps them on the outside of society, looking in.

Some individuals have been known to take on demonic guises; an oftentimes painful but neccessary reminder to themselves and others of their past lives and evils committed. Consequently, it is this adoptive image that is the cause of misplaced fear and loathing from even the gentlest of the common folk. But, in the mind of the Repentant, this is just as well. None can be hurt if none are around...

Thus acting as wandering scarecrows of sort, the Repentant battle to keep the forces of evil at bay; helping preserve the Innocence of those that are, and those that are to be, with a conviction much accredited to the holiest of warriors.

The Powers of Darkness are in for a rude awakening indeed."

This idea is incomplete, as you can probably tell. It's old, badly written, and as such it needs to be revamped, but the gist of what I was getting at is there...somewhere...

What I meant to do was apply (one might say "plagiarise") to Ravenloft the concept of the Apok O.C.C. found in Rifts Dimension Book One: Wormwood, and that's probably why I asked the Kargatane, back when, to recall "my" entry.

[Manofevil]

This has inspired me Let us all put our collective heads together and figure exactly what each DarLord would conceivably have to do to redeem themselves, or at least, to get started.
I.E.
Strahd would probably have to finally come to the realization that Tatyana would always love Sergei and not him and accept this, possibly even facilitate it.
Adam would have to move past his hatred for Mordenheim. He wouldn't have to start liking his father/maker. He'd just have to stop actively hurting him.
Let's think people!

[Tobias Blackburn]

Azalin would have to let Irik go and set up a fair and benevolent system of government for Darkon.

Dominic would have to free all his Obedient and retire to a small farm and never force his opinions and will on anyone again.

Drakov would have to admit defeat and greant his people their freedom, as well as working to better their lives.

Kharkov would have to go back into the jungle and abandon his attempts at being a man (and figure out how to end his vampirism).

[ScS of the Fraternity]

Kharkov would have to go back into the jungle and abandon his attempts at being a man (and figure out how to end his vampirism).

Either that, or join a monastic order and live out the rest of his days in complete control over his emotions and impulses.
It goes either way, become fully human or fully animal.
Oh, and which ever he chooses, he has to periodically shout:
"What is the law?"

[Gemathustra]

Kharkov would have to go back into the jungle and abandon his attempts at being a man (and figure out how to end his vampirism).

Either that, or join a monastic order and live out the rest of his days in complete control over his emotions and impulses.
It goes either way, become fully human or fully animal.
Oh, and which ever he chooses, he has to periodically shout:
"What is the law?"

Statute #45553, Code B?