Black Marrows are named for their dark colored hides which are encased in a distinct exoskeleton. Their skull and the top edges of their spine push out from under the skin as they age. As such, their young need excessive amounts of calcium for this armor to develop. The older a Black Marrow dragon is, the more skeletal their appearance. They often use their skeletal looks to lure in foolish scavengers or terrify predators. These vicious dragons love nothing more than to crack open bones with their stony beaks and eat the marrow inside. Voracious scavengers, Black Marrows will swarm and devour corpses both old and fresh, sometimes even dragging larger finds to the water to allow them to “ripen.” Despite their dreadful demeanour and often horrid stench, Black Marrows are devoted mates and parents.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

The pet dragon of a most feared nobleman, this black creature is used as a means of punishing those who fail to pay the taxes their lord imposes on them. Those who simply cannot pay or who try to cheat their way out of surrendering their funds are hauled into a dark room and left alone for an hour with the beast; those who merely lacked the necessary funds come out bleeding and sobbing, but those who attempt to scam--or fail to make payment more than once--are never seen again. Despite these horrors, however, the marrow would much rather go about tending the mansion's impressive collection of candles than kill, replacing melted stubs and lighting any that gutter out. His master has noticed this reluctance, and is hoping to retire him to full pet status soon, while another marrow takes over his grisly job. Indeed, his dragon is the only one to whom the lord shows true kindness, an affection that his marrow acknowledges and returns.