Characters / Codex Equus Temnobog

Here is a list of tropes sorted under Temnobog, the infernal co-ruler of the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon.

To return to the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon's page, click here.

To return to the main character index, click here.

---

Temnobog, the Dark One

Classification: Elemental/Ethereal

Portfolio: Darkness, Evil, Suffering

Rank: Divine (Tier IV/Greater)

"Without darkness, there is no light. Without suffering, there is no joy. Without evil, there is no good."

Temnobog (his entry here) is Belyolen's younger identical twin brother, and the Bogoleyna Deer God of Suffering, Darkness, and Evil.

While biologically related to Belyolen, Temnobog is actually the living embodiment of his brother's inner evil that was magically cast out of his then-unborn brother. Their father, High King Irminsul, originally intended for his son to become a pure force of good, and cast a ritual that would eliminate all of his flaws. It didn't quite work out, as the ritual resulted in a dark twin that his mother, Arvan, unexpectedly gave birth to. Due to what he embodied, Temnobog was emotionally abused and shunned by both his parents and his siblings, who feared that his mere presence would "taint" their benevolence, despite not doing anything to warrant his mistreatment, while Belyolen was showered with love and praise for being good and pure.

However, Belyolen was the only one who accepted even Temnobog as kin, due to his innate compassion and (by Temnobog's admission) his divine empathy making him see an abused fawn starved of love instead of the dark abomination their family sees Temnobog as. And yet Belyolen's attempts to reach out to his brother and protect him were always blocked by their family for fear that he would be "corrupted by Temnobog's Evil. Understandably, this caused Temnobog to believe that even Belyolen didn't care for him, so out of hatred and resentment, Temnobog would try sabotage and undo everything his radiant brother would do for Deerkind - whenever Belyolen would protect and bless his worshipers, Temnobog would curse them and rain evil and suffering upon them. This would distress Belyolen into opposing Temnobog (much to Temnobog's delight), though at the time, he was unaware that Belyolen's hatred was not directed at him as a person, but at his wicked actions. Their family, however, was delighted that the radiant stag was finally seeing his dark twin as an evil abomination that must be opposed for the sake of Deerkind.

This came to a head when Belyolen overheard his parents and some of his siblings considering killing Temnobog since they are unwilling to put up with his evil presence anymore, leaving him extremely upset. Thanks to encouragement from the Alicorn goddess of Self-Love, Amour-De-Soi, Belyolen confronted his family during a divine meeting over Deerkind's future, and shamed them for their abusive hypocrisy, claiming to be "benevolent" when their abuse of Temnobog made them as evil as the evil they opposed. He also shamed himself for not protecting Temnobog enough and letting his parents and siblings influence his opinion of Good and Evil. Belyolen's speech caused many of his brothers and sisters, feeling guilty for participating or condoning Temnobog's abuse, to side with him as he left to form his own pantheon.

Because he was barred from the discussion for being Evil incarnate, Temnobog was unaware of what transpired, and initially followed Belyolen with the intention to usurp his radiant brother as leader of the newly-formed Bogolenya pantheon, even getting some Deer deities on his side. The conflict that followed between the divine brothers was long and bitter... until they first discovered their unique bond - whenever one of them tried to gain an advantage over the other, they would suddenly weaken while the other would get stronger, and vice-versa. But when they (reluctantly) worked together to resolve a crisis threatening the Bogolenya pantheon, they both became stronger. Lestnamatya/Mother Deer helped them learn why - both Temnobog and Belyolen are the living embodiments of Darkness and Light as well as Evil and Good, due to being two halves of the person they should've been, making them literal equals rather than "inferior/superior" like they were taught. And because they embodied dual elements, they were supposed to work together so Deerkind and Equus could prosper.

It was during this moment that Temnobog finally learned the truth of Belyolen's actions and love for him, and that their own family was responsible for the radiant stag's supposed indifference and hatred of him as a person. When Belyolen started crying out of guilt, stress, and trauma, Temnobog was moved enough to finally bury the hatchet and reconcile with his brother for good. Now, instead of becoming the sole leader of the Bogolenya pantheon as he initially wanted, he was given leadership and authority that's equal to Belyolen's, and became his brother's closest and greatest supporter.

As the Deer god of Darkness, Temnobog is extremely skilled in shadow magic, which is shared with the winged Peryton Deer that was rumored to have been created by him. In contrast to Belyolen, who blesses and protects Deerkind, he serves as the chief punisher of the wicked, both in life and in death. His modus operandi is that he would go around and influence the rise of evildoers, grant them power, then use them as pawns to test the heroic strength and will of mortals. When they are defeated, Temnobog would either devour them himself, or keep them in one of his hell-realms to be tortured for eternity. Helping Temnobog are his demonic servants, the Nechists, and his four surviving children, who are collectively known as the Four Terrors. The Four Terrors are the Bogolenya deities' last defense against evil and corruption among Deerkind, as their presence is a sign that a Deer realm had become utterly irredeemable.

---

# - B

• Abusive Parents: By normal standards, he is one. He encouraged the Four Terror's inclination for evil and lets them commit horrific acts of evil, and he severely punished his four other children by eating two of them, while the other two were transformed into playthings. However, it's subverted that despite his harsh standards, he's actually a well-meaning father who is proud of the Four Terrors for using evil in a constructive way like he does. The four other children he punished were genuinely evil and treacherous, either siding with their Fallen mother, Ispita, or committing unspeakable crimes that Temnobog didn't agree with. Compared to his own father, Irminsul, who shunned and emotionally abused him for being born an evil god despite not doing anything to warrant it, Temnobog is a loving parent who the Four Terrors are all adoringly loyal to.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Chernobog is the god of Darkness and Evil in Slavic mythology, though while many ancient Slavs attribute everything dark, evil, and accursed to him, it is debated on how evil Chernobog actually is. Here, Temnobog, who is based off of Chernobog, is depicted as being born the Evil side of the god he was supposed to be, after Irminsul tried purging his then-unborn son's inner evil in a well-meaning yet foolish and arrogant attempt to turn his son into a God of Good. After years of being emotionally abused and shunned for being born an "evil" god, Temnobog would eventually snap and lash out at Belyolen, his older, radiant twin, for being their family's favorite, causing years of fighting and misery with no victor until they discovered the truth about the nature of their existences. They would reconcile and rule over the newly-formed Bogolenya pantheon together, but because of his emotional abuse, Temnobog developed a few psychological issues, one of them being low self-esteem, which Amour-De-Soi, the Alicorn goddess of Self-Love, has been trying to help him bolster by teaching him how to love himself for who he is.
• All of the Other Reindeer: As a fawn, he was shunned and mistreated for being born as Belyolen's evil cast-off, despite not doing anything to truly warrant it, being only barely tolerated because he was family. This led to a lot of resentment and hatred towards his family, especially his brother, though that cooled off over time. And his role as the evil tester of mortals and punisher of the wicked eventually garnered the fear and respect from the deities who used to hate him so much. Nowadays, he focuses his feelings on his father, who was responsible for his situation in the first place.
• Antagonistic Offspring:
  • After burying the hatchet with his brother, Temnobog focused most of his resentment and hatred for his father, High King Irminsul, who is responsible for his and Belyolen's situation to begin with and had looked down on him just for being his brother's evil, unwanted cast-off. He had tried to off his father whenever he thought he could get away with it - the Myths and Legends entries documented one such episode where he ran afoul of Narren while trying to do that (though most of the details of the incident were just embellished propaganda). He's also noted to be the only person who praised the young Diamond Dog deity, Scrappus, despite the latter being a Bratty Half-Pint incarnate... though it largely had to do with Scrappus being such a brat that he gave Irminsul hell while the latter babysat him.
  • It's also implied that Temnobog's relationship with his mother, High Queen Arvan, isn't so good, either, given how little he talks about her or even mentions her. Still, his hatred of her is not as much as his hatred towards his father.
• Anthropomorphic Personification: Embodies Darkness, Evil, and Suffering.
• Balance Between Good and Evil:
  • He and Belyolen are literal embodiments of this. Because he was born as the result of Irminsul trying to get rid of his older twin brother's darker urges and flaws, Temnobog represents Belyolen's darker side, while Belyolen represents the compassionate side of the person he was supposed to be. They can't kill each other because their elemental bond would ensure that one of them gets weaker/stronger, and vice-versa. This is what led to Temnobog's philosophy that Good Needs Evil in order to become strong enough to oppose evil, which was later adopted by his children, the Four Terrors.
  • It also ties into his philosophy: Good Needs Evil in order to survive and be reminded why Good needs to stay Good, lest it becomes forgetful, arrogant, and complacent. Thus, Temnobog does not tolerate people who try to completely eradicate either concept because the results will be potentially more damaging than if both of them were left intact.
• The Bad Guy Wins: An unusual example. Temnobog had played the villain and aided the rise of mortal villains as pawns/minions through his role as a force of 'Constructive Evil'. If he or his pawns/minions succeeds, he gets to spread evil and suffering which he revels in across Erobreseg Deers' lands, reminding their worshipers the menace and folly of Evil and Immorality, while weeding out the wicked who gave in to those Evils in their weakness, which he could then indulge his dark nature upon in the afterlife. If the good guys triumphs over his pawns/minions and foils his plans, he would STILL have succeeded since it means he had successfully drove the noble and heroic to rise against the evils he had challenge them with, making those who come out of stronger and better and thus ensuring the Balance Between Good and Evil are maintained. In other words, no matter what happens, he has already won.
  That being said, he's very much opposed to any force of careless/destructive Evil winning, and has devoted himself to foiling their schemes in almost every way, especially those who follow his ex-girlfriend, Ispita. This is because they threaten to upset the Balance Between Good and Evil and the existence of everything, including Evil itself, with their self-destructive nature.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Because he was emotionally abused and shunned as a fawn for being born "Evil" by the Elternteil Deer pantheon, Temnobog tends to gravitate towards those who are genuinely kind to him despite what he embodies, other than his brother. He's implied to have a cordial relationship with the Alicorn goddess of Self-Love/Esteem, Amour-De-Soi, who essentially serves as his therapist in helping him bolster his self-confidence, and he appreciates the kindness of Upepo, who is the Giraffe goddess of Kindness. Golden Scepter became a close friend of his by reaching out to Temnobog after learning of the latter's emotional abuse, which resulted in them and their children closely interacting with each other years later. What makes this notable with Golden Scepter is that Temnobog, due to in part embodying mortal Deerkind's lust, has lusted after the Alicorn Emperor and even considered bedding him at one point, but he refuses to act on his basic urges because he doesn't want to break his own principles as a "constructive" Evil god and thus lose his friendship by sleeping with Golden Scepter without his consent, therefore proving to Irminsul that "Evil" individuals like him should be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit.
• Birds of a Feather:
  • This was how Temnobog fell in love with Ispita back when she was "good", due to being constructively evil deities who tempt morally weak people to evil and inflict harsh punishments on their souls after death. Then Ispita became evil and everything fell apart.
  • To the shock and horror of many, Temnobog also ended up attracted to the mad goddess Cosmos for the same reasons. They seem to be hitting it off, with both the Four Terrors and Mentálne welcoming her warmly.
• Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: His signature weapon is a menacing warhammer, a blunt, threatening, damaging and painful instrument of war in contrast to the more precise, elegant, forgiving and painless sword that his benevolent twin brother Belyolen wields and which is more than capable of leaving unfortunate opponents/victims in broken, crippled messes dying slow, agonized deaths. It is appropriately called Stradayushchi — "Suffering".

C - E

• Cain and Abel: Initially the Cain to Belyolen's Abel due to his family and peers shunning and mistreating him for being born evil, while Belyolen was the favored child for being a pure and compassionate god. However, what led to his Heel–Face Turn was the discovery that he and Belyolen were born divine equals due to Irminsul trying to purify his then-unborn son of his darker urges in the womb, and that Belyolen had never looked down on him for existing, only hating him for the wickedness he sowed among Deerkind. To everyone's surprise, this moved Temnobog to stop fighting and reconcile with his brother.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Justified. He's the living embodiment of mortal Deerkind's worst traits and the evil side of the god he was supposed to be, so even if he does have good traits of his own, they're twisted by his evil nature. Because Equus runs on a Balance Between Good and Evil, he serves as a testing force against the forces of Good so they can become strong enough to oppose Evil. His brother, Belyolen, and others love and accept him for who he is, but it's noted that he nonetheless restrains his more depraved tendencies and focuses on punishing the wicked when around his noble-minded family and peers, as they would be rightly horrified if he didn't.
• Casting a Shadow: As the god of Darkness, Temnobog has great control over umbramancy. The Peryton, a race of winged Deer that Temnobog is said to have created, are also a collective group of shadow mages whose talent is only rivaled by King Sombra. It's noted that Temnobog is at his strongest during nighttime and the Winter season, where darkness and shadows are most abundant, and that whatever Belyolen can do with his light magic, he can also do the same.
• Can't Live Without You: He and Belyolen are two halves of the god they were supposed to be, which means they have a magical bond connecting them. If one of them dies, the other goes with him, no matter how healthy and strong he is. This is partially why Belyolen is so protective of him.
• Close to Home: Anything that reminds him of the Elternteil Deer Pantheon's unwarranted abuse he experienced as a foal for existing will make him go on a terrifying Roaring Rampage of Revenge. When he learned the rulers of 'Omelas' made a Deal with the Devil that turned an innocent fawn into an eternal scapegoat to give their kingdom unparalleled power, peace, and prosperity, he was so furious that he wanted to condemn 'Omelas' right away, only stopped by Belyolen. He wastes no time in carrying out the 'Calling of the Terrors' punishment after 'Omelas' is proven to be irredeemable, and once he gets his hooves on the ruleres responsible, he subjects them to such horrific fates that none dared to pry about what he did out of fear of receiving his terrible wrath as well.
  Temnobog: You thought you could prosper by using an innocent soul as your scapegoat?! AH-HAHAHAHAHA! I have JUST the proper Hell-Realm for hypocritical, abusive scum like YOU!
• Dark Is Not Evil: Or rather, Darkness and Evil are equally important parts of the Balance that fuels Equus, no matter how reviled they are. Despite being unapologetically evil, Temnobog sees his portfolio as natural forces that test the heroic will and resolve of good-minded people. He does "bless" evildoers, but he never lets them triumph completely, as they're all just pawns to him. His domain is full of condemned spirits who are being tortured for the crimes they committed in life.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Pun aside, Temnobog had a very rough childhood. He was born a god who embodied Deerkind's flawed, evil nature, spurring the Elternteil Deer Pantheon to shun and horrifically abuse him out of disgust towards his existence. Only Belyolen, his twin brother, cared about him, but Irminsul and Arvan manipulated him into believing that Belyolen hated him instead. Years of abuse led to him becoming evil and clashing with Belyolen out of resentment, until he learned the truth of his existence: He was born the evil half of High King Bogolenya, Irminsul's son. Irminsul selfishly attempted to create a pure and flawless god by purging Bogolenya of his evil in-utero, but it ended up killing his son instead. After this, he reconciled with Belyolen, became the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon's chief punisher, and fell in love with Ispita, who sired the Eight Terrors with him. But then Ispita chose to become a Fallen goddess, driving half of the Eight Terrors to 'destructive evil' with her betrayal and leaving him heartbroken as he was forced to punish his wayward children.
• Deal with the Devil: Throughout history, many villainous and shady Deer had bargained away their souls to Temnobog in return for some sort of power, which led to the Deer term "Touched by Temnobog". It's actually a bad thing since deriving power from Temnobog is a sign of moral weakness, and he drags their souls down to his hell-realms once they die. The only exceptions are those he explicitly hired to sow constructive Evil (Blood Fang) and those he blessed to be his champions because he was impressed by their moral integrity (King Strazha Svetilo).
• Depraved Bisexual: As the living embodiment of Deerkind's evils, one of his aspects is Lust. He uses his depraved hedonism to punish damned shades for sexual crimes by forcing himself on them, and he frequently sleeps with his equally depraved surviving children, the Four Terrors. It's implied this is part of the reason he fell in love with similarly depraved goddesses like Ispita and Cosmos. However, he does have standards, as he refrains himself from preying on the innocent - by his own admission, he has lusted after Golden Scepter's physical body, but he constantly resists the urge to force himself upon him because doing so would both destroy Golden Scepter's trust and respect for him, and validate Irminsul's perception of Evil as something to be destroyed utterly.
• The Dividual: Of the "Twindividual" type. He and Belyolen were born twins because they're actually two parts of the person Belyolen would have become, had Irminsul not used a divine ritual to try erase all of his son's flaws and leave him a god of good. Because of their unique natures, they cannot kill each other - every time either one would gain an advantage, they would suddenly find themselves weaker while the other gets stronger, and vice-versa. When they did fight, they were evenly matched. This is what leads to their realization that neither of them could function with out the other, and their decision to work as equals.
• The Dreaded: Temnobog is feared among even the worshippers of the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon, many of whom avoid invoking his name so as not to attract his attention. And this is invoked by the Dark One himself, who believes mortals should rightly fear Evil so they might have the right mind and resolve to avoid and/or oppose it.
  Temnobog: FEAR not for what I had DONE, mortals... Rather, TREMBLE at what I intend to DO.^note Yes, this is a shout-out to a certain God of Evil from DC Comics, even in-universe. According to Princess Stitching Times, Temnobog found that fictional evil alien god's quotes and style "inspiring", even if he disagreed with a lot of other things he did in the comics.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: When he was born the literal embodiment of Belyolen's darker urges and flaws, everyone except his brother shunned and mistreated him out of disgust, only tolerating him because he was family. This led to Temnobog lashing out at Belyolen for being the favored child, and when Belyolen left home to form the Bogolenya pantheon, Temnobog followed with the intention to usurp his brother. It was only after learning they were born elemental equals, and that Belyolen loved him despite everything, that Temnobog was able to reconcile with his brother. When he was asked why he doesn't desire to Take Over the World as most evil gods do, Temnobog explained that he has almost everything he wanted - the love of a brother, sharing equal leadership power, commanding the fear and respect of his worshipers and fellow deities, and using his innate evil for a constructive, if unorthodox purpose. And after Cosmos was snapped out of her villainy and had a Heel Realization, she reciprocated Temnobog's feelings for her and they have entered a steady relationship due to having similar dark, depraved personalities (though it was partially out of spite for Ispita, Cosmos's chief enemy). Temnobog would also gain a close friend in Emperor Golden Scepter, who was incredibly empathetic towards his suffering and treated him kindly despite Temnobog being a God of Evil, which consequently resulted in Temnobog's surviving children, the Four Terrors, closely interacting with Golden Scepter's many demi-divine sons.
• The Empath: Has empathy like Belyolen, though unlike his radiant brother, who uses it to alleviate suffering, he uses it to prolong suffering. His surviving children, the Four Terrors, each inherited this power from him.
• Enemy Mine: He hates his father, Irminsul, for abusing him as a fawn on baseless reasons, to the point where he has tried to kill or injure the older stag many times whenever he thought he could get away with it. However, during the "Final Ragnarok" arc, they would be forced to work together to save their family and relatives from the Shadowed Ones.
  Temnobog: Any foe so dangerous that I'm willing to fight alongside HIM and not try to get him killed deserves acknowledgement.
• Even Evil Can Be Loved: Despite what he embodies and being unapologetic about it, Temnobog's backstory and experiences show that innate evil aside, he's still a person who still desires to be loved like any-creature on Equus.
  • His hostile and resentful behavior towards Belyolen was heavily similar to how a mistreated child would react towards a favored sibling after snapping under years of parental abuse, attacking them out of spite and belief that said sibling didn't care about them at all. However, once Belyolen made clear his kind intentions and his brotherly love for him despite their parents' behavior and efforts to separate the twins for the supposed "good" of Deerkind, Temnobog was moved enough to bury the hatchet and reconcile with him.
  • This trope also extends to Temnobog's love life - Ispita once had the hots for him, as she is lustful by nature, until her Fall caused Temnobog to fall out of love for her. Years later, Cosmos would become his new girlfriend both to satiate her love-addiction that her former obsession with "Darling D" left behind, and to spite Ispita, her Arch-Enemy.
  • He also gained a few Alicorn allies who are extremely empathetic to his plight. Amour-De-Soi, one of Amareros's daughters and the Alicorn goddess of Self-Love, has essentially been serving as Temnobog's therapist for years by teaching him how to accept himself for who he is and not listen to other people's negative opinions about him. Golden Scepter, an antediluvian Alicorn Emperor, saw past Temnobog's evil nature and treated him kindly when he learned of the latter's emotionally abusive past, even though it would invite the wrath of many people for associating with an Evil god in general, which sparked the beginning of a close friendship. As a consequential side-effect, the Four Terrors would end up closely interacting with Golden Scepter's many demi-divine sons.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being a God of Evil who's unapologetic about his evil, he has some people in his life that he's genuinely close to and capable of loving.
  • He loves his twin, Belyolen, and they act like typical brothers while off-duty. They fiercely opposed each other in the past thanks to their Abusive Parents' toxic, puristic influence, but after learning their true natures as the bisected halves of High King Bogolenya, Irminsul and Arvan's dead son, the brothers reconciled and have acted as co-rulers of their pantheon to this day.
  • He's also quite loving towards his own infernal family, including his surviving children, the Four Terrors, and his (greats-) grandchildren, the Deti Uzhasov, and they all love and adore him in turn. A few entries featuring them show how involved Temnobog is in their lives, such as helping the Four Terrors cope with their grief over Ispita's Fall and showing Princess Hnignun why her self-imprisonment might be doing more harm than good.
  • His love extends to the other Bogolenya deities, such as his virtuous nephews/nieces, the Four Comforts, and his extended relatives/in-laws such as Válka. He regulates his depraved evil in their presence, while they all tolerate and respect him for his role. In particular, he's fond of his grandniece, Mentálne, who essentially serves as his therapist despite her young age and has assured him that she loves him, even though the Elternteil Deer Pantheon does not.
  • His love also extends to those allied/associated with the pantheon as a whole. Many of his friends, such as Upepo, High King Kaldr, Amour-De-Soi, and Emperor Golden Scepter, are individuals who are tolerant of his evil nature and are rightly saddened and disgusted by the abuse he went through for existing. Golden Scepter in particular is considered a beloved 'family friend' of his, and after Golden Scepter adopts him as his son, he reacts with incredible glee, even though he jokingly laments that he won't be able to fantasize about being the Radiant Emperor's boyfriend anymore.
  • Averted with Ispita, his ex-girlfriend. Before her Fall, she was a constructively evil goddess and punisher of the wicked just like him, and he genuinely fell in love with her largely due to sharing similar natures. However, after Ispita becomes a Fallen goddess and betrays him by turning half of their children, then called the 'Eight Terrors' to 'destructive evil', he was understandably heartbroken and furious to the point where he developed an undying grudge against her. His standing orders to the Four Terrors regarding her are essentially "Kill on Sight".
  • It's revealed that he genuinely loved his four nameless children, who were once part of the Four Terrors. But after two of them betrayed him for Ispita and the other two committed unspeakably horrible crimes, he reacted by devouring the former and leaving them to be digested in his stomach for eternity, while reducing the latter to immortal yet powerless playthings for the still-loyal Terrors to torment. Despite appearances, he was deeply hurt by his four lost children's betrayals and presumably grieved for them in his own way.
  • Averted with his parents, High King Irminsul and High Queen Arvan. He hates them for being horribly abusive parents to him just because he was born 'evil', and after discovering his true nature as High King Bogolenya's evil side, he hates them even more for trying to get rid of him in-utero so their unborn son will be completely good and pure. In regards to Irminsul, he has tried killing or sabotaging him multiple times when he thinks he can get away with it; according to one famous Alvslog Deer legend, he nearly succeeded by transforming his father into a worm and then gobbling him down. Narren foiled his plan by tricking him into devouring him, too, so he could rescue Irminsul from within.
  • Zigzagged with the rest of his siblings that aren't Belyolen. On one hand, he hated them for constantly abusing him and desiring to have him killed for being born 'evil'. On the other hand, he has forgiven those who realized the error of their actions and genuinely apologized for mistreating him, such as Kúzelník and Zmeniť. In the case of Naur, he was forgiven because he was also abused for being born different and, despite siding with the Elternteil Deer Pantheon at first, genuinely disagreed with their desire to have Temnobog killed for existing.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Despite being an unapologetic God of Evil who revels in what he embodies, Temnobog only sees evil as a necessary part of the Balance of Equus, and doesn't tolerate people becoming genuinely evil as it indicates moral weakness. This includes his ex-girlfriend Ispita, as well as his four nameless children that he punished, because they either sided with their evil mother or committed unspeakable crimes.
  • He refuses to sleep with Golden Scepter even without his consent, no matter how attractive he finds him to be. This is because he deeply appreciates the kindness Golden Scepter gave him, and loathes the idea of paying the Alicorn Emperor back by violating him to satiate his own baser urges. He also doesn't want to break his own principles as a "constructive Evil" deity as Ispita had done, which would end up proving Irminsul right in his beliefs that his dark son is an abomination that must be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit.
  • He is furious with those who use the suffering of an innocent, especially the suffering of a child, for their own benefit. This is because it sorely reminds him of his horrible fawnhood as an Elternteil Deer god, where his "benevolent" parents abused him for being born "evil" and generally treated him like an abomination that didn't deserve to live. Those who participate in such dealings always receive the most horrific of punishments after death.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Downplayed, given his relationship with his twin brother Belyolen, the Radiant One and working with him to maintain a Balance Between Good and Evil allow him to have greater understanding of Goodness and Virtue, but as an embodiment of his brother's and Deerkind's evil and inner darkness he still has some blindspots.
  • The fact that the Cross of Fire supports his brand of 'Constructive Evil' is this to him. The Cross of Fire embodies objective Goodness in all of sapientkind, and is not beholden to any subjective moral standards. While Temnobog's actions would still be Evil by their nature, the manner in which Temnobog had directed them has beneficial, positive influence overall to the growth and development of sapientkind, and it has judged it good. Even so, Temnobog was reportedly left quite stunned when this was revealed to him.
• Evil Laugh:
  • He laughed when he heard of King Rovnyy's plan, "The Great Unifier" and the "End of Strife", involves using the divine magic of a captured deity to create a world without lies, cruelty, and treachery. It's not so much out of evil-based satisfaction than the fact that he found Rovnyy's plans absolutely hilarious, since he had encountered countless beings who tried doing similar things before... though his laugh did agonize the souls of wicked Deer he was tormenting.
  • He let out a terrifying laugh upon learning of what the corrupt Erobreseg Deer kingdom of "Omelas" had done to an innocent foal, before issuing a 'Calling of the Terrors' judgement against "Omelas" in utter fury.
• Evil Twin: A subverted example. While Temnobog is the god of Evil and completely unapologietic about it, what he does is ultimately for the betterment of mortals, as he uses suffering and evil to test their heroic strength and resolve so they could succeed. And while he does let his children, the Four Terrors, go around and raze towns and kingdoms, it's only because the targets have become truly wicked and irredeemable, and thus have earned their punishment. As a child, being the living embodiment of Belyolen's flaws caused everyone in the Elternteil pantheon, including his own parents, to look down on him simply for being an "evil" god among good and noble gods, which understandably made him angry and resentful. But after he and Belyolen realized that they literally could not live without one another, they reconciled and worked together as equals. So while he did become evil for a time as his family and fellow deities feared and expected him to, it was because of the emotional abuse they heaped on him for being born.
• Evil Versus Evil: Temnobog and his brand of Evil has often clashed with other Fallen/Evil entities/deities and forces of Evil, owing either to philosophical differences over the nature/place of Destructive vs. Constructive Evil and Suffering in the world, or more personal reasons.
  • Temnoists and Temnobog Cultists - those who follow Temnoism - usually don't get along with other diabolical factions, notably the Hydianites who worship Evil as freedom from restraints. The Temnoist sees the latter as self-destructive moral weaklings that are a threat to the Balance, while the Hydianites sees the former as tyrants and collaborators.
  • Temnobog and Ispita used to be a couple, bonding over their nature and roles and even had eight children together. Then Ispita became truly Fallen and sides with the then-evil Discord, and their relationship falls apart. In Temnobog's eyes, Ispita has become no different from those she used to tempt and torment, and must be punished/killed for her moral weakness.
  • This is also what happened between Temnobog and his four missing children. Since they either sided with their evil mother, Ispita, or committed unspeakable crimes, Temnobog decided that their sins made them unworthy of being his offspring and therefore they didn't deserve to live with him as family. The two who sided Ispita were devoured, while the other two were stripped of their powers and identities, and turned into eternal playthings for their siblings, the Four Terrors. However, it's heavily implied that as a father, he really was just as hurt in doing it to his own children, but he had to punish them harshly as, if they were allowed to live and roam, it would mean the potential End of Equus.
  • It's rumored that this trope is why he recruited the evil Alicorn demigod, Blood Fang, who, despite being a villain, maintains a sense of honor. Temnobog knows that while Blood Fang will do anything to conquer Hyrule, even manipulating other villains to get them out the way, he's far too principled to try anything practiced by followers of "careless" Evil, such as remaking Equus in his own image. He gained Blood Fang's loyalty by telling Blood Fang that a kingdom isn't worth conquering if "careless" evil is left unchecked, potentially destroying Hyrule in the long run.
• Evil Will Fail:
  • He holds this opinion in regard to generic, selfish and destructive Evil borne from the moral weakness of mortal sapientkind. According to him, "destructive" Evil is a wild fire which, if allowed to rage out of control, will ultimately destroy everything, including itself. This leads to his belief that Evil needs Good to keep it in check (and vice-versa), and that Evil does have (and must serve) necessary and constructive purposes to justify its existence in the order of all things.
  • On the flipside, the Elternteil Deer Pantheon believes that evil entities like him will eventually fall because in their eyes, good will always triumph over evil. However, their Knight Templar and Black-and-White Insanity attitudes mean that they see evil in general as more a stain to be removed, and want him killed so the Alvslog Deer Herds, and mortal Deerkind by extension, can reap the benefits of everlasting good.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: He does not tolerate destructive or "careless" Evil, as such a thing would eventually result in Equus being destroyed, and will get really angry if he finds people who partake in it, even his own children. This is partially why his punishments towards them are particularly harsh.
• Expy: Of Chernobog, an ancient Slavic god of Evil and Darkness whom the Slavic peoples would dedicate all evil and adversities to. Temnobog is seen as the ultimate source of Evil in the Erobreseg Deer Realms, but the Erobreseg Deer Herds treat this as a good thing as Evil motivates people to be good and strong in the face of hardship. Unlike Chernobog, who is constantly fighting with the good Belobog, Temnobog is the product of Irminsul's selfish attempts to get rid of his unborn son's evil, and became antagonistic after being treated as Belyolen's "unwanted castoff" for years by his abusive, puristic family. While he did torment and antagonize Belyolen for being their parents' favorite, he would reconcile with his brother after they both learned the truth of their existences.

F - I

• Forgiveness: Being infamous for his grudges towards the Elternteil Deer Pantheon for the emotional abuse he suffered as a fawn, he didn't want to forgive Kúzelník at first because he didn't believe his older brother had truly changed. However, Kúzelník surprised Temnobog by giving a heartfelt apology for his actions before explaining to him his fall-out with his parents and his struggles to reconcile what he had been taught with what he had seen and experienced for himself. This, combined with the efforts of Temnobog's friends and family to help him look past his own animosity, eventually convinced the Dark One to forgive Kúzelník and reconcile with him.
• Freudian Excuse:
  • Temnobog initially hated his brother, Belyolen, because of how he would receive praise and love from their family and friends, while he was shoved aside as his brother's "cast-off". And for a long time, he would sabotage Belyolen's efforts to do good in Equus, cursing those who were helped by his brother and delighting in their suffering. Once Belyolen reveals that he always loved him, and makes him realize that neither one of them could function without the other, Temnobog stopped fighting and reconciled with him, working as his brother's equal from there. Nowadays, he mostly tries to go after his father.
  • As implied with the goddess Poena, Mistress of Punishment, and his interactions with Crystal Prism and Queen Dazzleglow, Temnobog has no patience for Knight Templars or morally puristic people, having grown up among gods and goddesses who shunned him simply for being born evil, a circumstance that was beyond his control. As such, Temnobog sees all attempts to destroy Evil for good as foolish, boring, and dangerous, as Good Needs Evil to be reminded why it as a concept needed to exist. When Poena vowed to punish him for being an evil god, Temnobog's response was to call her a "naive fool" and point out that her obsession with justice would eventually turn her into something as monstrous as the evil she opposes.
  • Inverted with how his world philosophy, called "Temnoism", came to be. He started rationalizing evil and suffering as necessary parts of Equus's Balance when he and Belyolen discovered that Irminsul's divine ritual caused them to split apart from the person they would have been, turning them into living embodiments of light and dark. They couldn't kill each other without one of them growing weak/stronger, and when they worked together, both of them got stronger. They were literally divine equals since the day they were born.
  • It's implied that because of his emotionally abusive upbringing, he tends to gravitate towards those who show him kindness despite his inner Evil, such as Amour-De-Soi, Upepo, and Golden Scepter.
• God of Evil: Subverted in a refreshing way. Originally, Temnobog started out as genuinely evil because his family and fellow gods treated him as a corrupted cast-off of his pure-hearted brother. But after realizing his unique heritage and reconciling with Belyolen, Temnobog decided to use his powers to uphold the Balance of Equus by using evil and suffering to test the strength and resolve of mortals. So while Temnobog is feared and unapologetic about what he does, he's actually respected for his contributions - as stated in his folder quote, if darkness, evil, and suffering didn't exist, life on Equus wouldn't be worth living with nothing to define light, good and contentment. He also subverts the typical behavior that is displayed by many evil/amoral gods such as the desire for global conquest and torturing mortals For the Evulz, stating that he does have almost everything he wanted since childhood - the fear and respect of his worshipers and fellow deities; the love of a family member who accepts him for who he is; equal leadership power in a divine pantheon that's equal to his brother's; and a purpose in using evil and suffering as testing forces for mortals. He does indulge in depravities occasionally, but restrains himself out of respect for Belyolen and their peers, and those who personally catch his eye with their wickedness are doomed to be his eternal playthings unless they make serious attempts to atone.
• Good Needs Evil: Part of his Heel Realization is that Light and Dark, Good and Evil are very important elements that fuel the Balance of Equus. If there was too much Good in the world, the mortals would become complacent and stagnant, leaving them vulnerable to be corrupted or destroyed by new forces of moral and natural evils. If there was too much Evil, the mortals would either forever live in misery, with no hope ahead of them, or evil will destroy everything, including ultimately itself. And, quite literally, Temnobog needs his brother, Belyolen, because their unique natures as light and dark deities empowered and completed each other; whenever one tried to overpower the other, they would suddenly find themselves weakened/stronger, and vice-versa. Only when they worked together did they become stronger. This is what led to their reconciliation and their working together as equals.
• Happily Adopted: Eventually, he would be adopted by Emperor Golden Scepter, who had long sympathized with his horribly abusive fawnhood and took him in so he can have the loving father-figure he deserved. While he jokingly lamented he wouldn't be able to fantasize about being Golden Scepter's lover anymore, he nonetheless accepted his adoption with incredible glee.
• Heel Realization: He was initially a genuinely evil god for a time, but only because his family and peers abused him for being born "evil" until he snapped. What caused him to change his ways was Belyolen revealing his brotherly love for him, and the discovery that they were born divine equals who literally cannot live without each other.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Despite all that he had gained and accomplished, Temnobog still has mental scars over the emotional abuse he suffered as a fawn simply for being born evil, and much of his hatred towards his father stems from this. The Alicorn Primeval of Self-Love, Amour-De-Soi, essentially had to serve as his therapist for years, encouraging him to feel better about himself and ignore how others look down on him for being born evil.
  • It's implied by both Belyolen in-universe and a few entries that while he's mostly content with his own existence, Temnobog sometimes thinks about how his life could have gone differently had he and Belyolen been born as the god and embodiment of mortal Deerkind they should have been. This might be why he got along so well with Golden Scepter - as the powerful Alicorn god of Ponykind, Golden Scepter represents its best and worst traits, yet managed to strike an inner balance that allowed him to rule well. Golden Scepter treating him kindly after hearing of his childhood emotional abuse despite knowing of his inner Evil helped as well.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: While he is an innately evil god, he is reviled by the Alvslog Deer herds, who paint him as a one-dimensional villain because the thought of Evil itself playing by the rules appalls them. Among the things they get wrong is him using magical items to empower himself so he could kill/injure Irminsul (which would've gone unnoticed by Belyolen due to their unique bond and nature as elemental twins), and being rightly shunned by his benevolent Elternteil family for being evil (his family, especially his father, were actually very emotional abusive towards him and were largely the reason why he became a genuine God of Evil at the time). In reality, he's a tolerated and respected deity because of his role in preserving the Balance of Equus with his constructive evil.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: He and Belyolen look almost exactly the same due to being two halves of the person they should've been, except while Belyolen is a radiant, white-furred stag with slender antlers and golden armor, Temnobog is a dark-furred, red-eyed stag with sharp, jagged antlers and iron armor.
• I Have No Son!: After Ispita's Fall, he inflicted this on his four other children, who aren't named (at least, they used to be). Two of them he devoured, because they sided with their genuinely evil mother, Ispita, a fallen deity. As for the other two, they committed crimes so heinous that Temnobog saw fit to have them reduced to nameless immortal playthings for the Four Terrors. However, it's gradually revealed that behind his harshness is a hurt and grieving father who is saddened by the betrayal and ultimate fates of his own children, and after the family schism, he would try help his surviving sons and daughters get over their emotional trauma as best as he could.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: This is the reason why he initially wanted to usurp Belyolen as the leader of the Bogolenya Pantheon, as having such a position will give him the love he deeply craved, and why he eventually accepted Belyolen's offer of reconciliation. Learning that a family member did love him after all was a major influence in his decision. Temnobog even states later that he has no desire to Take Over the World as expected of evil gods, since his role in testing mortals with evil has already given him the fear and respect that he wanted. Seeing Belyolen break down and cry in front of him due to guilt, stress, and trauma probably helped, too. It's later revealed that Canteros was responsible for things turning out the way they did - as the god of Requited Love and Reconciliation, he ensured that Temnobog earned his happy ending by "nudging" the Dark One's deeply-buried desire to be loved to the surface so he would be more receptive to Belyolen's words, and subtly directed various empathetic individuals to Temnobog so he would have a steady source of emotional support.
• In Love with Your Carnage: Given his dark nature, Temnobog tends to have a thing for beings that embody or are capable of great evil and darkness while still keeping some form of benevolence. Both of his known love interests so far also happened to be divine Draconequus, beings who embody dark and chaotic aspects of mortals and the world.
  • He had a past relationship with Ispita the Deceiver over their respective roles as tempters and punishers of the wicked, one that resulted in eight children known as "The Eight Terrors". This fell apart when Ispita truly went Fallen, breaking Temnobog's heart as well as angering him. In Temnobog's eyes, Ispita losing perspective and giving into her dark, selfish nature so she could fully become destructively evil made her out as just as morally weak as those they used to tempt, and thus deserves to suffer the consequences of her actions as well.
  • Later, he fell for the Draconequus goddess 'Cosmos' during the 'Cosmos Incident' upon seeing her evil and deprave nature, so much that he went to court her almost the moment the fight ended, and she went on probation. Whether to get over her own obsessive love for Discord, seeing something she liked in Temnobog and/or just to spite her rival Ispita by banging her ex-boyfriend, 'Cosmos' eventually reciprocated those feelings.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Golden Scepter is way older than he is, having lived before Known History during a time where the Alicorns dominated Equus. And yet, despite their differences, they would form an Odd Friendship because (among other things) Golden Scepter treated Temnobog kindly and went out of his way to help the latter despite him being a God of Evil.
• Interspecies Friendship:
  • He, a divine Deer god of Evil, has a close yet Odd Friendship with Golden Scepter, an antediluvian Alicorn Emperor. Their friendship stemmed from the fact that Golden Scepter represents the god he and his brother were supposed to be, and that Golden Scepter treated Temnobog kindly despite the latter being a God of Evil.
  • He's also on good terms with the Giraffe goddess Upepo. This is because, as the goddess of Kindness, she treats him with genuine compassion regardless of his Evil nature, something he deeply appreciates.

J - O

• Legion of Doom: It is heavily implied in a recent scene-insert that he and Emperor Blackthorn are planning to form an 'Alliance of Evil' of sorts with other dark and devious deities and their followers to establish a new world order on Equus, partly as a counterweight to the Cosmic Council, partly as insurance against both belligerent/hostile puristic/fanatical deities/entities/mortals individuals/factions of good and against rival/upstart evil/Fallen deities/entities/mortals individuals/factions of evil, and partly to better advance all their villainous self-interests and goals. For Temnobog, it would further his ends of monopolizing evil under a 'Constructive Evil' framework (whether it be his own Temnoism or something similar) in order to better maintain the Balance Between Good and Evil that would allow both Evil and Good to exist and grow strong together from eternal struggle.
• Light/Darkness Juxtaposition: He and Belyolen were born twin embodiments of Darkness and Light, respectively, because Irminsul tried purging his then-unborn son of his darker urges and flaws while in utero. This gave them an elemental bond that put certain restrictions on their powers - whenever they try killing each other, their attempts would fail because the stronger sibling would suddenly get weaker while the weaker sibling would get stronger, and vice-versa. But if they're working together in tandem, then both of them would get stronger. This means that they were born literal equals rather than superior/inferior as they were initially taught, which ultimately led to their reconciliation.
• Made of Evil: He's the embodiment of Belyolen's flaws and inner evil, and by extension embodied the worst aspects of Deerkind as a result of Irminsul's purification magic separating him from Belyolen in their mother's womb. This made his existence in the Elternteil Deer Pantheon utterly miserable, as he was scorned and abused by most of his family for what he represented, even though he didn't do anything Evil, to the point where his parents and some of his siblings considered killing him, either through the righteous Belyolen or their own hooves. Only Belyolen loved him for who he was, for while he hated his wicked actions against Deerkind, he was so compassionate that he couldn't let his brother be treated like garbage just for existing. Luminiferous notes that while Irminsul's actions were wrong, Temnobog still has potential to become a great individual when paired with Belyolen, even though he exists outside the person he's supposed to be.
• The Man Behind the Man: In Deer lore, every single villain the heroes have defeated can be traced back to Temnobog, who "blessed" them with his dark powers so they can continue sowing evil. That being said, Temnobog disapproves of the concept of Evil as "freedom from restraint" as such Evil will lead to the destruction of Equus, and uses the villains he empowers as his pawns so he could test mortal heroes. Arguably, this would make him the Man behind Blood Fang the Dark Conqueror since the latter is also a villain, though Temnobog hired him for the explicit purpose of testing the various incarnations of Radiant Primrose and Gleaming Shield so they'll always be strong enough to fight evil.
• Mark of Shame: To the Erobreseg Deer Herds, any society that bears Temnobog's "Black Sigil" is utterly irredeemable, because that means he would be sending the Four Terrors to utterly annihilate everyone and bring their wicked souls to his domain to be punished. The only exceptions are the good-hearted, who are evacuated out of the marked society in question by Belyolen's angels and divine children.
• Meaningful Name: His name means "Dark God" in Russian. Considering how he embodies Evil, Darkness, and Suffering, it fits.
• A Mistake Is Born: Temnobog wouldn't have existed if Irminsul hadn't selfishly misused his Purification domain to try turning his unborn son into a flawless and completely benevolent god. Thus, when his mother, High Queen Arvan, gave birth again right after birthing Belyolen, Temnobog was constantly emotionally abused by his family and peers on the basis that he was his brother's unwanted cast-off. This eventually caused him to snap and genuinely become Evil out of spite, causing much of the Elternteil Deer Pantheon to call for his death. Only Belyolen accepted him for who he was, and he ended up being so disgusted by his family's actions towards his brother that, after receiving encouragement from Amour-De-Soi, he called everyone out on their arrogance and abusive hypocrisy before leaving home with Temnobog, along with many of their remorseful siblings.
• Mooning: In Kúzelník's entry, he apparently mooned his parents' angelic servants to spite the Elternteil Deer Pantheon for driving away one of their most powerful children with their haughty and puristic behavior. It's implied that it's not the first time it happened, either.
  Kúzelník: Does he... do this often?
  Belyolen: ...Unfortunately, yes.
• Noble Demon: He's an unapologetically evil god, and he supports the rise of villainy and other horrific things... but in truth, he doesn't want the mortals of Equus to truly suffer. He only does what he does because he believes that Good Needs Evil in order to become strong enough to oppose the various evildoers that plague Equus. That being said, while he "blesses" villains, he only uses them to test heroes' resolve, and pulls the wicked into his domain to be punished for their actions for eternity. Many Deerfolk legends spoke of heroes earning Temnobog's respect by passing his trials, and Deer kingdoms desperately trying to atone for their sins when Temnobog cast his eye on them.
• Odd Friendship: It's mentioned he has this kind of relationship with Golden Scepter, the Radiant Emperor of Ponykind. Despite both of them being night and day in terms of personality, beliefs, and abilities, and despite Temnobog being the last sort of person that someone like Golden Scepter would want to associate with, they were nevertheless able to become good friends. Part of the reason is implied to be that Golden Scepter, as a highly beloved ruler and the living embodiment of Ponykind, represents the god Belyolen and Temnobog could have been. However, a Codexverse quote also reveals that he and Temnobog became friends because, after hearing of the latter's emotionally abusive past, Golden Scepter treated him kindly and went out of his way to help him and his brother despite Temnobog being a God of Evil. Some of Golden Scepter's sons see this as rather odd, blasphemous even, while Pokhot, Temnobog's youngest daughter, sees nothing wrong with it and often plays "games" of temptation with them whenever they visit the Bogolenya pantheon, both to test them and as her way of being friendly with the children of an ancient god who's friends with her father.
  • A Codexverse quote reveals that Golden Scepter's influence also keeps him honest. Because he embodies mortal Deerkind's inner Evil, Temnobog has lusted after Golden Scepter at one point and has considered bedding him even without the latter's consent. But he refuses to act on his baser urges because not only will that irrevocably break their friendship and cause everyone, including Golden Scepter himself, to lose all respect for him, it will also validate Irminsul's beliefs regarding his dark son being an evil abomination that must be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit.
  • It's later revealed in Canteros' entry that Golden Scepter's friendship with Temnobog started because Canteros wanted to give the Bogolenya Deer God of Evil a happy ending. Since Temnobog's stint as a genuinely evil god stemmed from his deep desire to be loved and respected for who he is, Canteros "nudged soem things" and led people with empathetic natures such as Upepo, Golden Scepter, and Kaldr to Temnobog so he could receive a steady stream of support, and recover from the emotional abuse he received from the haughty and puristic Elternteil Deer Pantheon.
• Offing the Offspring: His parents, as well as some of his siblings, seriously considered getting rid of him altogether because he's the living embodiment of Evil. The only problem is that because Temnobog and Belyolen are divine equals and two halves of the person they should have been, killing Temnobog would kill Belyolen as well (both of them wouldn't learn this until much later). Overhearing this would become the catalyst for Belyolen confronting his family on their hypocritically abusive behavior and leaving home to form his own pantheon, taking Temnobog with him. Temnobog reportedly felt extremely relieved that it didn't come to pass after Belyolen told him what happened, though it did intensify his grudge against Irminsul.

P - S

• Papa Wolf:
  • He gleefully punished the hotblooded divine allies of Poena for trying to assassinated him because the second time around, they tried going after the Four Terrors, too. Said Terrors also joined their father in the punishments to make their would-be killers pay.
  • He also grinned when he witnessed his oldest son Yarost punch an Elternteil Deer deity in the face for making Bolezn cry, and would side with Yarost during his argument with Belyolen. Belyolen would later admit that he, too wouldn't hesitate to defend Temnobog if his brother was insulted, and ultimately let Yarost off with a light warning.
• Parent with New Paramour: Cosmos ended up as his second girlfriend due to being extremely similar in personalities and tastes. While many deities were horrified by this unholy relationship due to Cosmos's past actions and Temnobog being a God of Evil, the Four Terrors liked her very quickly, due to both of them being also similar and having an undying hatred towards Ispita. They even let her join in on a "Calling the Terrors", with her utterly enjoying every second of it.
• Pay Evil unto Evil:
  • One of Temnobog's activities is to "bless" a villain who contacted him for boons, use them to test the heroic strength and will of mortals, and then cast the "blessed" villain into his domain to be tortured for eternity. Even before he reconciled with his brother, Temnobog would use his powers of Evil to curse those who he thought deserved it, which naturally brought Belyolen's opposition.
  • According to one Deer legend, he also tried doing this to Irminsul, depowering his father then gobbling him up to pay him back for the abuse he gave him in his childhood. Narren eventually rescued Irminsul from Temnobog's stomach, even braving the Dark One's two devoured children in the process.
  • When a group of hotblooded deities who were allied with Poena tried assassinating him twice despite Belyolen's warnings, even going after the Terrors, Temnobog and his children gleefully proceeded to punish the offending people for their crimes, with Belyolen's full permission.
  • After Kolektor was defeated by the combined efforts of Fluttershy and her "daughter" Fluttercruel, whose collective purity and lack of bad karma made them immune to his karma-based powers, Temnobog would arrive and proceed to give his treacherous stepson no mercy for his betrayal and theft of many wicked shades. What happened is not made clear, though Temnobog stated that it was Kolektor's turn to pay his debt this time around.
• Point of Divergence: It's later revealed that had Irminsul not mutilated his unborn son trying to purify him of his flaws and inner evil, both Temnobog and Belyolen would not have existed at all. Instead, they would exist as one being, High King Bogolenya, who would have ushered in the prophesied golden age for Deerkind that Irminsul foresaw. Instead, Irminsul's self-loathing and vicarious ambitions not only prevented the vision from coming to pass, but also became the main contributing factor to the Elternteil Deer Pantheon shattering into different factions with their own ideas on how to nurture Deerkind's potential.
• Poor Communication Kills: Many of Temnobog's initial assumptions of Belyolen largely stem from interference by their family, who constantly kept Belyolen from even seeing his dark brother out of fear that Temnobog would "corrupt" him with his innate Evil. This led to him trying to attack Belyolen out of spite and resentment, which would also cause Belyolen to attack him, and vice-versa (much to their family's delight, for they saw Temnobog as an abomination that must be opposed for the good of Deerkind). In reality, Belyolen loved Temnobog as his brother and only hated his wicked actions, but was unable to protect him their family's emotional abuse because of said interference. Once Belyolen finally managed to clear things up with him, Temnobog buried the hatchet and reconciled with his brother.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: The main reason why he refuses to act on his lustful urges towards Golden Scepter. Even though he finds his friend "incredibly handsome", Temnobog deeply appreciates the kindness Golden Scepter gave him and doesn't want to ruin their friendship by sleeping with him without his consent. It also falls under the "careless/destructive Evil" that Temnobog hates so much, so by violating Golden Scepter, he'll become no different than Ispita, and thus prove to Irminsul that he is an abomination that must be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit.
• Really Gets Around: Justified. A canonized Codexverse quote mentions that as the Deer god of Evil, he embodies mortal Deerkind's lustful aspects. In addition to sleeping with Cosmos and Ispita, the latter who also had a lustful personality, it's implied that he did the same thing with the Four Terrors, given how his youngest daughter, Pokhot, slept with her own siblings and children. Temnobog also felt attracted to Emperor Golden Scepter and has considered bedding the Alicorn god at one point. However, he refuses to act on his basic urges because he doesn't want to ruin his friendship with Golden Scepter by sleeping with him without his consent, or break his own principles as a "constructively Evil" god as Ispita had done and thus prove to his father, High King Irminsul, that evil abominations like him should be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit.
• Sadist: Justified; as the living embodiment of Deerkind's evils and darker traits, Temnobog delights in the evil that has been sowed by his Four Terrors and his various pawns and underlings, even nearly purring in delight as he remembered the cruelties committed by Blood Fang in yet another attempt to conquer Hyrule for himself. He even participates in the depravities that Deerkind has been known to do, though he restrains himself and focuses his evil on wicked Deer out of respect for Belyolen and other good-minded Bogolenyian gods. Otherwise, he's very serious about his duties in using Evil to test heroic mortals and doesn't tolerate people interpreting Evil as "freedom from moral restraints". Phykti, the Baroness of Torment, the living embodiment of Deerkind's cruelty and despair and Temnobog's eldest hybrid daughter, inherited his sadistic aspects.
• Secret Test of Character: While he is the god of Suffering and Evil, Temnobog sees his domains as forces that test the heroic will and resolve of good-minded people, and never lets the villains and evildoers he "blesses" to become completely undefeatable. This would make every battle between good and evil this trope by default. In addition, many Roedinian myths spoke of Deer champions and heroes seeking out Temnobog for aid, which led to them being tested by difficult trials in order to prove their worth to him. It's implied in a canonized Codexverse drabble that Temnobog seeks to monopolize every conflict between "Good" and "Evil" individuals so they'll always be of this nature, ensuring that both Good and Evil will survive and never grow stagnant and/or self-destructive as Concepts, which will in turn allow mortals to continue improving.
• Seers: Inverted; Belyolen's profile mentions that Temnobog has retrocognition to counter his brother's precognition. This proves handy when looking into the past deeds of those who try to hide them.
• Super-Empowering: As a god, Temnobog has the power to give villains, criminals, and other lowlifes a portion of his divine power, leading to the reputation of being "Touched by Temnobog". As such, those who become his champions are Long-Lived, but not immortal, though Belyolen points out that they become immortal if they choose to. However, when Temnobog "touches" someone, it's usually the result of a Deal with the Devil, and those who approach Temnobog for power end up being used as Unwitting Pawns to test heroic mortals. The only exception was King Strazha, who received Temnobog's darkness magic and curses and retrocognitive sight despite not being a villain - Temnobog himself explained that he was willing to make an exception since he was impressed with Strazha's refusal to give in to his inner darkness multiple times, and he was interested in how Strazha's harsh methods could be used positively when working in tandem with his younger sister, the benevolent Queen Vesna.
• Swallowed Whole: In one famous legend, he tried to get rid of his father Irminsul by eating him, gulping him down as a wyrm and planning to seal him inside his body to be tormented for eternity after stripping Irminsul of his powers. Being the divine embodiment of Deerkind's evils, including Gluttony, he also does this to the Bogolenya Pantheon's enemies, demons who disobeyed him, many damned Deer shades, and even two of his own children (though it's implied they had it coming), dooming them to a slow digestion and assimilating into himself.

T - Z

• Take Over the World: Zigzagged. He has no intention of actually conquering the world like other evil overlords and Fallen deities want to, having already got everything he ever want with his brother's love, authority as co-leader of their pantheon and fearful/respectful reverence of their mortal worshipers. However, it's implied in the philosophical/religious tenets of Temnoism that he wishes to monopolize all Evil and villainy on Equus in order to maintain the Balance Between Good and Evil on a global scale.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: After years of being emotionally abused and shunned by his own family for being born "evil" despite not doing anything to truly warrant it, he snapped and became genuinely evil out of hatred and spite. His most frequent target was his own twin brother, Belyolen, who Temnobog resented for being their parents' favorite. This would eventually stop after Temnobog learned of his nature as the "evil" half of the person he was supposed to be, and Belyolen revealed that he really did love him all this time and pleaded for him to bury the hatchet.
• This Is Unforgivable!: He sees anyone who use the suffering of innocents to benefit themselves as crossing the Moral Event Horizon in-universe, because it reminds him of the unwarranted abuse he suffered at the hooves of the "benevolent" Elternteil Deer Pantheon for being born "evil". In his eyes, any "good" person who does that is automatically a hypocritical, abusive scumbag no matter how noble their intentions are. For example, when he learned of what the Erobreseg Deer kingdom of "Omelas" did to a young fawn, he personally participated in the 'Calling of the Terrors' judgement that followed, and issued punishments so horrific that no one dared try asking what happened out of fear of being targets of his wrath.
• Token Evil Teammate:
  • Deconstructed in his early years when he was an Elternteil deity; because he was born the living embodiment of Deerkind's evil and depravity, his family and peers emotionally abused him all his life, believing that his dark nature would taint the benevolence of the Elternteil pantheon. Despite not having done anything evil at the time, Temnobog eventually became a true God of Evil because of the abject misery and resentment of his situation. The only one who accepted him wholly was his twin brother, Belyolen, who was understandably distressed by his family's abusive and petty hypocrisy, and left to form his own pantheon after calling them out so he could give his brother away from them. He took so long to let go of his grudge against Belyolen because for the longest time, he genuinely (yet wrongly) believed the Radiant Stag looked down on him, too.
  • Eventually reconstructed post-reconciliation. After Belyolen made clear his familial love for him, Temnobog permanently buried the hatchet and became his brother's closest and greatest supporter, being made his equal in leadership over the Bogolenya deities. With the fall of Ispita, who was his ex-girlfriend, the duty of punishing wicked mortals fell to him, so he commits horrific acts and "blesses" various evildoers so he could make heroic mortals strong enough to oppose evil. His four surviving children, the Four Terrors, follow after him in personality and philosophy.
• Top God: Shares the position in the Bogolenya Pantheon with his twin brother, Belyolen. Ironically, Temnobog originally wanted to usurp Belyolen for this position, but after discovering they were divine equals, they reconciled and started ruling the pantheon as dual leaders.
• Trauma Button:
  • Irminsul is an extremely sensitive topic for him, as he hates his father so much that he's willing to injure and/or kill him if he thinks he could get away with it. This is because of the emotional abuse he suffered from his own family and peers in his childhood. The Erobreseg Deer herds in turn are extremely careful not to directly bring up Irminsul and Temnobog's relationship with him in their folklore, as doing so will incur the dark stag's wrath.
  • It's implied that the Elternteil pantheon is also this, due to how they made his life miserable for existing since he was a child. He once got into an increasingly heated argument with some deities of that group, only for his young niece, Mentálne, to defuse the situation by giving him a Cooldown Hug.
• Twincest: He and Belyolen are identical twins due to their father dividing them in-utero, but this ends up being defied. He admits to being sexually attracted to Belyolen due to his own depraved nature and Belyolen being one of few family members who treated him kindly despite knowing what he is, but he also refuses to act on his urges for a number of reasons — like his own moral code, his and Belyolen's opposing natures, and his fear of losing Belyolen's trust. When he finally came clean to Belyolen about his desires, Belyolen naturally turned him down, yet was competely understanding and helped him come to terms with his feelings. He even states that he was glad he ultimately told Belyolen, as his feelings would have festered if he kept them a secret instead.
• The Un-Favourite: Deconstructed. The Elternteil deities were disgusted that a God of Evil was born among them, and emotionally abused Temnobog for existing, fearing that his presence as Belyolen's evil cast-off would taint their benevolence, despite him never doing anything evil to them at the time. This caused Temnobog to truly become evil out of hatred and resentment, and he targeted his older twin, Belyolen, for being favored and loved by the same people who would shun and abuse him. However, once Temnobog learns the truth of his relationship with Belyolen, he buried the hatchet and reconciled with his brother, enjoying equal power and authority as co-ruler of the Bogolenya pantheon as well as having a constructive purpose for his innate evil. However, because of his horrible childhood, the Elternteil pantheon, especially Irminsul, became major Trauma Buttons that would quickly provoke his wrath if mentioned in earshot.
• Unperson: This is what Temnobog did to his four genuinely evil children - two, he ate for siding with their evil mother, Ispita. The other two, he stripped them of their powers and identities, and turned them into their surviving siblings' playthings. Either way, their names are forever lost to time because of their indulgence in evil.
• Unwitting Pawn: Zigzagged, as while Temnobog often makes use of these, there are occasions where he doesn't.
  • While Temnobog blesses evildoers, they're only used as tools to test the heroic strength and will of mortals, so he never really lets them succeed. Those who manage to fall under his influence mark themselves for eternal condemnation in his domain.
  • Subverted with Blood Fang. While on the outside it may seem like the case, Temnobog actually hired him with the explicit task of testing the various incarnations of Radiant Primrose and Gleaming Shield because the Dark Stag has developed great interest in their moral integrity, and wants them to stay strong enough to oppose Evil. Blood Fang agreed to work for him because what good is being able to conquer and rule Hyrule if "careless evil" beings are able to destroy/irreparably damage Equus?
  • Averted with King Strazha. Temnobog blessed the Erobreseg Deer king with divine power despite the latter not being a villain because he was really impressed with both Strazha's actions against his parents, and his refusal to given in to his inner darkness multiple times, even though his royal upbringing gave him every chance to do so. Temnobog also stated that he was interested in how Strazha's harsher actions can be positively applied to ruling Bitaniya when put in tandem with the benevolent actions of his younger sister, Queen Vesna.
• Villain Respect: While he's an unapologetic god of Evil and thus a "villain" by typical standards, he's a decent guy who believes in, and enforces, the use of Evil as a constructive force to test heroic mortals. Therefore, anyone who refuses to give in to their inner darkness (despite having every chance to) will earn his personal respect.
  • The Erobreseg Deer herds claim in their legends that Temnobog respects Gleaming Shield and Radiant Primrose, and they're all true. The Dark One is so impressed with the moral integrity they displayed in their various incarnations that he has personally hired their Eternal Foe, Blood Fang, to keep them strong enough to oppose Evil.
  • At the same time, the big reason he hired Blood Fang as his agent is because despite being an evil Alicorn and overlord, Blood Fang has a personal honor code that prevents him from gaining too much power to the point of becoming an Almighty Idiot, and has personally manipulated other villains into defeating themselves to prevent them from doing worse things to Hyrule and Equus in general. Temnobog knows that Blood Fang is pragmatic/honorable enough to not fall into "careless" Evil as Ispita had done in the past, and both respects and trusts him for it.
  • King Strazha Svetilo of Bitaniya is the only non-villain in the Erobreseg Deer herds' history that has been "Touched by Temnobog" - Temnobog explains that he was willing to make an exception in this case, since Strazha has refused to give in to his inner darkness multiple times despite his royal upbringing, and he is interested in how Strazha's harsh methods can be used positively when working together with his benevolent younger sister, Queen Vesna.
  • In addition, many Erobreseg legends tell of heroes and champions approaching Temnobog for aid, and then being met with tests and trials that test their morals and inner goodness. Those who succeed will make Temnobog relent and provide them the aid they asked for.
  • He respects Fluttershy for treating her daughter Fluttercruel well despite her nature and how she came to be (essentially, treating her how his father should have treated him).
  • He also respects Golden Scepter, a surviving antediluvian Alicorn Emperor. Golden Scepter's entry notes that part of this respect stems from him being the divine embodiment of Ponykind, thus representing the person that Temnobog and Belyolen should've been born as if Irminsul had not tried purifying his then-unborn son in the womb. A canonized Codexverse quote reveals that Golden Scepter treated Temnobog kindly after hearing of the latter's abusive past, and has continued helping him even though associating with an Evil god will invite the wrath of those who want Temnobog dead. This is what allowed them to become close friends.
  • He also respects those who show compassion towards him despite knowing of his Evil nature, which is implied to have stemmed from being abused by his family merely for existing. While Golden Scepter is a prominent example, Temnobog has also shown appreciation towards beings like Amour-De-Soi and Upepo.
• We Have Become Complacent: Temnobog sees this trope as the result of what happens if Evil is almost completely eradicated - both heroic mortals and divines will forget why they became Good in the first place, and over time, they will become both complacent and indulgent with the idea that with Evil gone, they could do whatever they want, unwittingly becoming the Evil that they sought to destroy. Hence, it falls to certain divines and individuals to sow Evil in order to prevent nations, civilizations, and even races from becoming stagnant. This stems from living in a toxic home where his family became complacent and arrogant in their success, leading them to emotionally abuse him for being born a god of Evil.
• What You Are in the Dark: He refuses to act on his lustful feelings towards Golden Scepter even though he has the opportunity and power to do it, because not only will it irrevocably destroy their close friendship, it will also make him no better than "careless/destructive Evil" entities like his ex-girlfriend, Ispita. Furthermore, violating Golden Scepter will only prove Irminsul right in that he's an abomination that must be destroyed for mortal Deerkind's benefit, which is the last thing Temnobog wants to happen.
• Wonder Twin Powers: Of a sort. Because they were born two halves of a greater being, Temnobog's powers depend on his relationship with his older brother, Belyolen. Whenever he tries to gain an advantage over Belyolen, he would suddenly get weaker while the other gets stronger, and vice-versa. This ensures that the brothers cannot kill each other, as only when they're working together do they both get stronger. As a side-effect, if one of them would try increasing their power, the power boost would be felt by the other.
• Wowing Cthulhu: Was reportedly impressed by how Alragbah tormented a poor couple who wanted to escape poverty by selling their daughters off.
• You Are Not Alone: After he learned of Temnobog's emotionally abusive childhood, Golden Scepter would assure him that Evil or not, he'll still go out of his way to help someone in need, especially those he calls his friends, even if he might not fully understand the suffering and struggles they went through themselves. It's believed in-universe by many divines that this (among other things) is what allowed the two of them to become good friends, as Golden Scepter's many demi-divine sons would be found closely interacting with the Four Terrors, Temnobog's surviving hybrid children, years later.
  Golden Scepter: Temnobog... even though I can feel everything that you feel, I cannot say that I truly understand your suffering and your struggles, because I have never been abused myself. However, that does NOT mean that I will abandon someone in desperate need of help, ESPECIALLY those I call my friends... even if one of my friends is someone who is supposedly 'evil to the core'. If you, or your brother, are in a dire situation or you simply just want to talk, do not be afraid to seek me out. I will try to give you everything that you need to the best of my ability.

---