The following is an informational on the Dalake, their abilities, likes and dislikes, as a race.
The Dalake are the Keepers of Balance. Their dragon-kin roamed the world at the Dawn of Time, doing the work of the Wyrm of Balance before the Split. The dragons lost this power after the Split, and the Dalake now take this role.
The siting of a Dalake in the Gaia Realm nowadays is a rare thing indeed, even rarer is one that is born there. Even though the Dalake that didn't flee into the Endless were killed by the werewolves along with the remaining dragon-kin, the line still ran in their human-kin, often with generations passing before a true Dalake was born from them. Any Dalake born in the Gaia Realm after the Shapeshifter War is from the human stock. Any dragon seen after this time was either one of these rare homid Dalake, the rare Dalake visiting from the Dyrmyst Realm, or one of Wyrm's draconic-looking Nextborn--not true dragons at all. This could account for some dragons being percieved as evil (Nextborn-not true dragons), and some as good (the Dalake).
Dalake from either breed usually live up to 1000 years of age. Their are only the two breeds--Homid and Drako. There is no such thing as a metis weredragon.
Characteristics
The Dalake share many characteristics with the other skin-changers (accelerated healing, use of Gifts, ect.) but there are a few differences---
1) Dalake are immune to the effects of silver and flame, taking only normal damage from attacks from such. Toxins and attacks from supernatural creatures do aggrivated damage.
2) Dalake do not regenerate Gnosis as the other shape-shifters, indeed, Gaia had given them the ability to CREATE Gnosis. It is from this they are known as the Magic of the World. Another skin-changer that stays close to a Dalake will find the difficultly using a Gift will be one less, and will not have to spend one gnosis point. They can also recieve three gnosis per scene, up to there normal amount. Dalake, when consentrating, can use this excess Gnosis to weaken the Barrier and create caerns--a boon for the werewolves. If only they listened...
3) Dalake can step sideways instantly--anytime, anywere--and pretty much ignore the Barrier's rating. If carrying someone else over, the difficulty is 3 less the barrier's rating. Going from Near to Deep Umbra is difficuly four, traveling into the Endless is difficuly five vs. the Dalake's Gnosis (which is always ten).
4) Dalake are mostly calm creatures; they have low Rage scores, and don't use Rage to change form. However, they are still emotional, and pent-up Rage will usually result in a full-spectrum shift to Draka (Full Dragon), if not already in that form, and an uncontrolled Frenzy, where they'll kill ANYTHING around them. Unless all the creatures that are killed in a Dalake's wrath are Nextborn, the Dalake will fall into a howling depression, which could continue for days....
The Five Forms
The Dalake have five forms--Fully human, full dragon, and three intermediates. When changing, they become more draconic (or more human, if shifting down) at each stage. Unlike the other shifters, the middle half-form is not the largest of the five....
Homid (Full Human): The typical human form.
Tranzi (near-human): At this stage, the Dalake begins to take on the characteristics of her clan. The skin changes into the clan's color, and the hair begins to streak with the dragonmane color. Seascales become slightly spiny around the edges. Small claws grow at the end of the fingers, and they also grow small fangs. Accually look like draconic humans, though will barely pass for human in a dimly lit area.
Shinalo (half-dragon): The Dalake goes from looking like a draconic human to a humaniod dragon. Grows to about ten feet tall, face and head dragon-like, and also grows wings and a short tail. Capable of fire-breathing in this form, but not full flight. A dalake in Shinalo can glide, however, if they take off from a high spot. Will invoke the Delerium in this form.
Narblo (near dragon): The Narblo form is pretty much a small dragon. Still can walk upright if need be, and has four-and-a-half clawed fingers on still usable hands in this form (the little finger atrophies into a small outer claw). Capable of full flight. Range from 25-30 feet in length. Will invoke Delerium +1 in this form.
Drako (Full Dragon): A Dalake assumes it's full Dyrmyst dragon form as Drako. Lithe creatures, they can stand upright with MUCH difficulty, and have trouble doing presision work with their four-clawed hands. The form is very powerful, however. Length measures from 45-55 feet. Will invoke Delerium +3 in this form.
About the Others....
Dalake are, by their nature, friendly, forgiving creatures. They hold no grudge against the werewolves for the Shapeshifter War, and will most likely help a werewolf in need. They will even run with a pack for a time, if the pack will let them. However, the Dalake have developed a wandering nature--exporing the new worlds beyond the Endless. A Dalake will usually create a home-away-from-home Domain in the Shadows (the area between the Deep Umbra and the Endless), which connect many of the Dalake's favorite Realms and Domains. These Shadow-Realms are usually surrounded by corruption-destroying bolts of lightning, but anyone else can usually find a way in, if one knows where to look...
The Dalake have had a long relationship with the Umbral Dansers of the Nuwisha (werecoyotes), and can usually call on each other if a creature of corruption threatening the Umbra is too large for one group to contain or destroy.
Werecats fasinate the Dalake as much as the weredragons fasinate the Bastet, and the Dalake will walk with one for as long of a time as a cat allows, exchanging news and secrets. The Dalake's wandering nature and the Bastet's loner nature usually insure these walks are short, but the two shifters usually part as friends.
The Moloke (werealligators) are considered family, cousins of the same branch. The Moloke will do anything for a wandering Dalake, who they consider to be avitars of their totem, Dragon
Corax and Dalake usually leave each other alone, though a passing Dalake hearing the call of a wereraven's spirit-egg will come to it's aid, watching over it until the Corax themselves arrive.
Dalake don't usually meet up with the other shifters. The Gurhal have suffered much from the Shapeshifter War, and the Dalake don't wish to disturb their rest. The Rokea are a bit strange for a weredragon's taste, though a visiting Seascale will swim with the weresharks for a time. The Ratkin usually keep to themselves, and the Dalake mostly consider the werespiders as allies of the Nextborn.
Return to the Ways of the Weredragon...
Return to the entrance of the lair....
You are the 
creature to be intrieged by the Dalake.
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