Brute Dragons are among the larger dragon breeds. They prefer to live in solitude or small groups, nesting in high, mountainous regions. The only time they openly seek the company of others is during the mating season, when males will fight for the attention of females. The thunderous crash of Brute Dragons butting horns against each other in competition for mates can be heard nearly a mile away.

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.

Among Malebranche Barbariccia's clan of Brute dragons, it's customary to take the name of a famed fictional (or perhaps not-so-fictional) demon. The cave born of the clan are named after a famous work of literature, Inferno cantica, who guard the fifth Bolgia of the Eighth Circle of the Inferno. Barbariccia, whose name means "curly beard," in fact is female, and does not have the beard which is a characteristic of male Brute dragons. She is, however, burly and considerably more combative than most female Brute dragons, presenting a constant challenge to dominant female, Malebranche Libicocco.