Blacktip Dragons are a small, shore-dwelling breed that tend to nest on sheer ocean side cliffs. They live in groups under a dominant female, who prevents her subordinates from breeding. During the mating season, a group of Blacktips can be very noisy and smelly indeed; males produce a distinctive musky odor and loud, low-pitched honking noises in an attempt to woo the alpha female.

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.

Alpha Saltiness is the most dominant female of the Blacktip Cove dragons; therefore she claims the position of leader. She has two children, although one had left to search out a new group to live with. Normally all subordinate females would be daughters of the alpha female, but Subordinate WhiteSalt, although not kin to Saltiness, is in the Blacktip Cove group. Saltiness has allowed her to stay because WhiteSalt is the best hunter, and also because Saltiness has not yet had any daughters to take care of hunting.