The Book of Dale

Harrison Kip, an archaeology professor and cult leader, is sitting in a Night Vale jail cell for murdering Jalen Rutherford with a collection plate. But when Cecil Baldwin interviews him, Harrison doesn't seem worried. "My God's eyes, all believers are innocent," he says. "Even the heretics and the craven and the most diabolical of souls are worth his love and war." The god in question is Dale, a former college roommate of Harrison's who started a vape shop in Red Mesa before deciding to become a deity. And Dale has just written a book—the Book of Dale—which is about to have its launch event at the City Run redacted books and pamphlets.

How a Vape Shop Owner Became a God

Harrison and Dale were religious studies majors in college, both secular degrees that weren't training them for clergy. Harrison went into academia, eventually landing a job at the community college. Dale took a different path. "He opened that shop about five years ago. It's a tax break. That's all," Harrison explains. "No, Dale decided to go a different route. He wasn't interested in all the politics and hoopla of academics, and he certainly didn't want to be a mouthpiece for any God he didn't actually believe in. So what did he do? Well, I think you know, Cecil. He became a god."