Red Dragons are similar to typical story book dragons. They shoot flames, can fly, etc. However, they aren’t evil creatures as depicted in myths and won’t go around raiding castles, killing knights, or kidnapping princesses. They live in a variety of habitats, from forests to coastlines to abandoned castles, usually in warm climates, and eat whatever living creatures they can find.

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.

Alfred has a worldly-wise air, as one who's seen quite a lot of change in his days. He's a brave fighter, but is not too proud to retreat when necessary. However, his main passion is education, and he is always encouraging the hatchlings to study as hard as they possibly can, in any subject that interests them. He is not a teacher himself, except in leadership and military strategy, but he will frequently be found listening to the lectures of Sarasvati, Hypatia, Arete, or one of the other scholarly dragons. He is particularly fond of bannock bread, liking it slightly burnt—when asked why, he laughes ruefully and says it "keeps him humble".