Vampire Dragons are members of the undead. They sustain themselves by drinking the blood of others. It is said that they are only “alive” at night, and seem dead or asleep during the day, as they cannot endure sunlight for long periods of time. Vampire Dragons can only reproduce by changing the eggs of other dragons, puncturing the shell with their fangs and injecting venom that kills the baby inside.

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.

Despite her undead appearance, Alyson is actually an extremely kind dragon, often offering advice, wisdom, and stories of her youth to any hatchlings unafraid to talk to her; however, she has a habit of speaking cryptically, in riddles and unrelated philosophy instead of giving straightforward answers to any questions. Both dragons and Keepers will often visit her den, tempted by the wisdom that she offers.

Her favorite student is the Siyat dragon Sal Fisher, who is one of the few dragons able to tolerate her constant tangents and terrifying appearance and insists that she has mysterious knowledge beyond her years—but then again, Sal, who constantly insists on the existence of the supernatural, isn't often taken that seriously. Sure, rumors of witchcraft circle around her creation—some dragons say that her egg was stolen out from under her mother's nose, vanishing into thin air and disappearing despite all efforts to search for it—but those are just rumors, in the end. Hopefully.