Dal

Dal is the essence of Magic and Mystery, the ever-changing one. Dal is magic. Dal is all things enigmatic and the unknown. Dal is the questioner and the answer. Dal seeks what is hidden. Dal unveils what is disguised. Dal transforms one thing to another. It is from Dal that all cryptids emerged.

Information
The patron of shape-shifters and the ever-changing who has no specific gender. Those who are devote to Dal gain abilities from this essence. Those who seek to unravel cryptographic events, solve puzzles or learn the ways of shape changing pray to Dal. Philosophers speak about Dal, on matters of Dal. Those who can manipulate divine, primal, arcane and temporal energy utilize Dal when they work their abilities.

Dal is neither male nor female, and yet can be both. The masculine version of Dal is pronounced “D-all” whereas the feminine version of Dal is pronounced “D-oll”. Either pronunciation is acceptable as Dal is neither male nor female, and both simultaneously. Although ‘Dal’ is the usual accepted spelling of the name, spelling variations include ‘Dahl’ and ‘Dol’.

Appearance
Unlike the other essences, Dal does not have a 'default' form or appearance. Dal's appearance alters at the whim of this master shape-shifter. She has been reported to appear an old woman, a strong knight, a chair, a cat and many other shapes.

Dal's "True" Form?
Dal's form shimmered, shortened, bent, and folded until it had become shapeless rather like an amoeba. The structure shifted constantly, the form had no definite shape... rays of light radiated in all directions, small bubbles formed, popped, and the tiny droplets hopped over the unstable surface. Still shimmering, Dal levitated and gradually changed in hue. The colors were not constant. Although the hue varied from light yellow-white with flashes of deep purple, bright red, lavender, orange and blue-green; around this shape was a psychedelic aura. It wavered and fluttered – silver and gold sparkles flicker on and off like microscopic stars.

Personality
Dal is both wise and friendly. Those who have interacted with the essence say Dal is 'easy to talk to'. The other Divine find Dal pleasant and gregarious. Though not as capricious as Declar, Dal has a mischievous side and has on several occasions played practical jokes on both other divine and mortals.

Origin Stories
As with most of the deities and essences, Dal’s origin is a true mystery, quite fitting for Dal. Dal’s origins remain as shrouded in mystery as all things Dal. Stories circulate that Dal was once a mortal, transformed by the former essence of mystery due to some great deed or something horrific as a punishment. Some say that Dal existed before there was a universe, or is the creator of the universe - or both. So many legends and tales surround Dal’s origins that no one can be said as the truth. And yet, those who study the ways of Dal understand that all the stories are as close to the truth as possible.

Those of Trias claim that Dal was first formed as a tiebreaker for the divine members of the Table of Four, and created with aspects of all four, balanced gender to ensure complete neutrality.

The scalla and others claim that Dal was the first child of Legends, created to keep her magic alive.

Some believe he was the merger of the Lingspelien Anika and Teyãr., when they formed a child. Some believe that Anika and Teyãr are / were Lemelnik and Declaron, and Dal is their creation. There is also the confusion that Teyãr is one of Dal's aliases.

Known Abilities
Dal has supreme control over all things magical and in all forms.

Family
Unknown, possibly Anika and Teyãr.

Dal's Followers
The followers of Dal are also called the Monks of Dal. They live in monasteries and seclude themselves from the rest of society, for various reasons. Those who are worthy enough in the eyes of the essence are chosen to be his Devotees and gain the title of Seeker.

Dal's Devotees
Dal grants her Seekers divine abilities.

The Inquisitor
There is the one among the Seekers who has been upgraded to Inquisitor. Dal's current Inquisitor is Valian Sungarter.

The Seekers
Those who are chosen as Dal's Devotees are known as Seekers. They live in monasteries scattered throughout the Planet of Legends, and to a lesser degree, the Galaxy.

Terran Influence: Sacred Creatures
As with all the creatures of Legends, Terran tales influence them directly. The hybrid creatures, the ones who are not quite one species and not quite the next, these are the ones most commonly understood to Dal’s Sacred. It must be noted that all cryptid creatures are among Dal’s Sacred. Therefore there are many creatures sacred to him. These include the merfolk: ''“Merfolk may seem to be a creature that even cryptozoologists would consider to be too weird to be real and just a legend. However, the idea of a creature that is half human and half fish is seen in just about every culture with a coastline. Sighting claims go back to some of the earliest examples of written texts, and modern first-hand sightings are still constantly circulating to the present day. The range, both geographical and chronological, has raised some suspicions though that perhaps Merfolk could be looked at as a type of cryptid. The theory that most cryptozoologists accept if they believe in the idea of Merfolk is that they are animals—either a fish that has developed an almost human appearance for an upper body or even a primate that developed a half-aquatic lifestyle.”''

First Appearance
Dal is mentioned in Orphan Quest, the first volume in the Bookworld Series.

Random Trivia
Dal can be pronounced either D-ahl or D-oll. The pronunciation 'D-ahl' is usually considered the masculine form and 'D-oll' the feminine one.

“It’s a Dal Thing.” This phrase is used by residents of the Andromeda Galaxy to explain away unusual happenstances or strange occurrences.