Gold dragons are the ones most often killed by humans, who consider their scales to be extremely valuable. These golden scales grant them a high level of protection, similar to armor, and they use this to their advantage in battle.

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.

Amaterasu is a brilliant gold dragon, almost sunlike in her radiance, and her personality is equally warm and glowing. She is loving, generous, and kindhearted—many a human in a neighboring village wears an amulet made from one of her shed scales, freely given by herself for no reason other than "they looked sad". Since she inherited the luck-bringing gift of her multiple-great-grandfather Bes-Baraka, the amulets really do bring good fortune and joy. She loves children of all species, and delights in playing games with them, telling them wild and amusing stories, and cuddling them. Even the shyest are fond of her, and she has been found, on occasion, in a comfortable pile of human children and dragon hatchlings, all most cozily asleep.