Madness string 102586

Random mermaid
The whole point was that it was difficult and takes time and a hell of a lot of empathy, but that's why redemption is meaningful. You have to confront ugly things about yourself. And someone who is there to guide you on that exact same path they walked is so much more sincere and freeing than someone who tries to hide their own problems under a veneer of righteousness.
There are all sorts of horrendous medieval or high-tech punishments you can mete out on characters in a game. But sometimes the best ones are the simplest, those that strike a chord with the players. Having a character drawn and quartered is kind of abstract, but having one be made to sit in the naughty chair with their nose to the wall is profoundly embarrassing and visceral. Especially if you do it to a noble in the King's court.