Daemaskorn, the God of Punishment (DAY-mah-scorn)

Daemaskorn, the God of Punishment, Contracts, and Warden of the Obsidian Prison. Of all the gods, with the exception of the Lord of Games, Daemaskorn's goals and desires are often the most difficult to comprehend with a mortal perspective.
Daemaskorn, like his wife Alleniel , has a very black-and-white paradigm regarding the universe. To Daemaskorn, the failure to keep one's word is an unforgivable transgression, deserving nothing short of eternal suffering. Daemaskorn is the creator of Devils and Warden of the Obsidian Prison, and because both of his creations are viewed as being cruel, terrifying, and evil, the common view of Daemaskorn is that he would be as well.
While this undoubtedly true to some degree, and absolutely is if you attract his ire, those who do not violate contracts they make realistically have little to no reason to fear Daemaskorn, and those who uphold their word might even receive his favor regardless of whether they're good or evil.
Where the perceptions of Daemaskorn being evil do hold some weight is with regard to his stance on contracts, which shows in his creations, the race of Devils. Daemaskorn is concerned with the upholding of contracts, meaning the terms of the agreement itself rather than its implications. As such, any manner of clandestine action is completely valid so long as, ultimately, the unscrupulous individuals end of the bargain is maintained. At least, until the other party violates their own side of the agreement and nullifies it.
This is most prevalent among and likely best described through explaining Devils, Warlocks, and the pacts created between the two. Technically, a Warlock's pact need not be made with a Devil, merely a being of sufficient power. However, what is unique about Devils is that they have the potential to create contacts by channeling the power of Daemaskorn himself. This means that unlike, say, an Archfey, which needs to make a contract directly with a prospective Warlock seeking a pact, one of Daemaskorn's pacts can be created, signed, and enacted by a Devil instead, and there are far more of those than Archfey.
Granted, the being proposing a contract to a mortal needs to be able to offer the mortal enough power to entice them into a contract, and thus it is typically only higher-level Devils that consistently have multiple active pacts. That said, pacts with lesser Devils are by no means uncommon, as, essentially, Devils grow in power through these contracts, meaning a low-level Devil wanting to rise in rank is more likely to seek out a contract and might merely alter their presentation to a mortal to appear more powerful than they actually are, which is by no means a violation of Daemaskorn's will.
In order to complete as many contracts as possible, Devils will frequently utilize whatever means they see fit to expedite or alter the terms of an arrangement. For example, if you entered a contract with a Devil in exchange for vast amounts of wealth, a Devil might provide the mortal with cursed gold that slowly kills the mortal, simultaneously upholding their end while ending the contract with the mortal's death. So while there is an "honor" to Daemaskorn and a strict adherence to the terms agreed upon, utlising deception, intimidation and manipulation are, while not perhaps "supported", by no means viewed as violations or frowned upon. Because of the methods utilized by his Devils, a follower of Torach or Alleniel might see these contracts as being innately malicious and manipulative in intent.
Daemaskorn is commonly depicted in two major ways, depending on the view of him. Romantics tend to depict him as being foreboding, but possessing a haunting beauty, frequently utilizing the imagery of crows or ravens, as these birds are superstitiously believed to be his Devils in disguise on the Emergent Plane, watching mortals carefully for those who do not keep their word. For this reason, it is considered bad luck to make a promise in the presence of either bird. Additionally, Daemaskorn and Alleniel are frequently portrayed together, creating striking religious artwork often containing a message about the tenuous internal conflict residing within most mortals. Those who live in fear of Daemaskorn show him with a far more menacing appearance, however. Malavach instills fear through violence, Vyshareth through the inevitability of death. Daemaskorn, however, inspires within mortals the fear of the divine itself. The fear of discovered guilt, the fear of an impending responsibility, the fear of eternal damnation, these are fears brought to life through depictions of Daemaskorn's wrath.
An aspect of Daemaskorn known by only a few religious historians is the truth of his relationship to Tieflings. Tieflings are a race created by Daemaskorn, and frequently one of the most discriminated races in the Emergent Plane because of this. This disdain for Tieflings is one of superstition, as most mortals view them sort've like "mortal Devils", believing Tieflings to be the natural result of any contract with a Devil. This is not true, however: Tieflings are the result of broken contracts with Devils. A Tiefling is most often born as the offspring or further descendant of an individual who has violated a contract with Daemaskorn, the mark on the individual's lineage being a visible punishment on the bloodline of the violator.
Originally, this is why Tieflings were held at a distance, as while the Tiefling itself is not responsible for their ancestor's behavior, the common perception is that it means that lineage is prone to not keeping their word, an act which is pretty universally viewed as being a major transgression. As a result of this, Tieflings frequently married other Tieflings and created more Tieflings, because it was rare for people to be willing to let that mark into their familial lineage. Over time, this history was largely forgotten, and Tieflings are now believed by most to be a direct result of fiendish interaction. This is something that, likely, infuriates Daemaskorn, as the message intended by the creation of Tieflings has been forgotten and associates him and his Devils with Demons, a race he reviles. A Tiefling would not necessarily give birth to further Tieflings every time, thanks to Daemaskorn as well. While he does not forgive, he does still grant his favor, and so a Tiefling that consistently made and kept agreements throughout their life might sire a non-Tiefling as Daemaskorn's way of showing the mortal that while they are the result of their ancestor's actions, he does not necessarily hold the mortal responsible. This is extremely rare for pairings of Tieflings, however, as both parents would have to proven themselves to the god. As such Tieflings occupy a unique position in that they are strange mix of simple biology and divine intervention. Due to of all these factors, Tieflings are more prone to becoming Fiend Pact Warlocks than other humanoid races, a fact that doesn't help their public perception.
In the end, Daemaskorn is a god within the pantheon that most mortals have good or bad perceptions of depending on the individual, far moreso than the other "evil" gods Vyshareth and Malavach . The perception of Daemaskorn tends to be regional or racially based. For example, temples, shrines, and the worship of Daemaskorn is generally not mainstream in most parts of Torvahl, but still accepted in major cities as not necessarily being something worthy of fear or revulsion, though it is a bit questionable. In Kalahva'khir the worship of Daemaskorn is done openly, as the pursuit of Arcane knowledge is encouraged among the shining cities of the desert country, Warlock pacts included. In Daeamorant, however, despite the name similarity, the worship of Daemaskorn is highly taboo, if not outright criminal due to the most prominent worship being of Alleniel, Daemaskorn's wife.
Racially, Tieflings and Aasimar (the creation of Alleniel) have feelings on Daemaskorn depending on the individual. Some Tieflings revile Daemaskorn for their curse, some revere him for his blessing. Some Aasimar think of the god as a necessary evil, some think he manipulated his wife into their marriage and is wholly evil, and some feel indifferent, thinking of him as neither a being of good or evil and simply just a being that is. While the Lord of Games is mysterious to mortals because he's entirely unpredictable, Daemaskorn is mysterious because nobody can really agree on what type of being he is.

Relationships

Daemaskorn, the God of Punishment

Husband (Vital)

Towards Alleniel, the Goddess of Justice

5

0

Honest

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Alleniel, the Goddess of Justice

Wife (Vital)

Towards Daemaskorn, the God of Punishment

5

0

Honest

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History

One might imagine the marriage between Daemaskorn and Alleniel to be akin to one of convenience or arrangement, loveless and full of conflict. In truth, it would seem at least from recorded mortal knowledge of the two gods that this is not the case. At the very least, there seems to be a mutual respect for each other's views, and this is seen if you look in the right places in the subtle ways that the world works.
For example, there seem to be almost no Warlocks younger than a certain age, which is different for each species, and is seemingly based on what the general perception of "maturity" is for each race. A Human would likely not be able to contact a Devil to form a pact until they're around 13 if they were to try, though it might be possible if their resolve was strong enough to convince Daemaskorn that they're aware of and desperately still want a contract. As there's seemingly no other explanation for this, the common explanation by those who research such things is that this is, in a way, an act of love or respect from Daemaskorn to his wife, as from all knowledge of Daemaskorn he'd see no issue with his Devils forming pacts with an infant unable to uphold their end of the deal. It would appear the reason for this minimum age is purely out of a respect for Alleniel's likelihood to see such contracts as malicious and unfair, and perhaps even something akin to an act of love, as in Daemaskorn's mind it's likely not something that'd be seen as an issue.
This relationship is not one-way, either. An example cited as potentially Alleniel reciprocating these feelings are the realms of the Black Prison and Ivory Court themselves. As the story goes, while the Ivory Court is where Alleniel passes judgement, the two realms are linked in some way unique for the realms of the gods, such that Daemaskorn and Alleniel can freely see each other and be together as they wish, and the two are together more often than not. Considering this is hardly the behavior of spouses who can't stand each other, the belief held by most people is that the relationship is in fact one with at least some degree of genuine affection.
This is further displayed by the way souls are handled when it comes to those that are sent to the Ivory Court. While individuals that break one of Daemaskorn's contracts have their souls sent directly to the Black Prison, those sent to the Ivory Court to be judged are frequently in the presence of both gods, who pass judgement in some degree of unison. While records of those who've been to the Ivory Court and returned are few and far between, some extremely rare and guarded accounts to exist, and they describe Daemaskorn as seemingly having just as much disdain, if not more, for those who violate his wife's laws. Additionally, if a soul is sentenced to her husband's realm, Alleniel does not seem to protest, nor does the Black Prison have appeals, meaning once a soul is given over to her husband, Alleniel makes no effort to give it a second hearing in the Ivory Court. Additionally, Daemaskorn's presence in the Ivory Court itself for hearings seems to speak of Alleniel's respect for him, as being the Goddess of Justice she could simply do the job alone without his input, something she knows he'd not contest, and yet Daemaskorn sits beside her regardless.
Even if there is love between the two, it's fairly common knowledge that they still fundamentally disagree on a number of things. For example, Alleniel undoubtedly sees Daemaskorn's contracts as rigged, while Daemaskorn is generally believed to view Alleniel's laws as superfluous, believing only direct agreements between individuals can be upheld thoroughly.
Whether the reason for these things is out of love or polite respect ultimately comes down to mortal perceptions. Those prone to romanticism might view it as a loving relationship between two opposites, while cynics may describe it as simply mutual respect between powerful individuals or political in some divine sense. That said, the more common view is that their marriage is one of love. If there is affection between the two, it seems to transcend their differences, as frankly there's just as many (if not more) things they'd likely feel differently about as commonalities.

Spouses

Alleniel, the Goddess of Justice (Wife)

Siblings