Balloon Dragons are so named because they are filled with a gas that makes them almost lighter than air, similar to balloons. However, they are not prone to bursting, as they are covered in tough skin and can deflate themselves if necessary. In addition, they generally are slow moving. They use their gas bladders to float to the tops of trees, where food is more abundant. They can shift their weight from their backs to their fronts, allowing them to reach leaves and fruit.

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.

Helium can be considered the grandmother of the clan in personality. She absolutely loves hatchlings and can't bear to see them in any sort of pain. She'll sob for hours on end if she finds out that Changing Earth's healing magic was not able to save an injured one. She is very close to Foster Child, though the feisty little female has made it perfectly clear that she wants nothing to do with Helium. Helium is also the clan's peacemaker, quickly breaking up (or at least attempting to) any fight that she sees. Looming Storm's not very fond of her because of this, he'd rather rant and rave and conjure up storms without her constantly nagging him. But Helium persists all the same, she will not tolerate fighting while she's around.