Black Marrows are named for their dark colored hides which are encased in a distinct exoskeleton. Their skull and the top edges of their spine push out from under the skin as they age. As such, their young need excessive amounts of calcium for this armor to develop. The older a Black Marrow dragon is, the more skeletal their appearance. They often use their skeletal looks to lure in foolish scavengers or terrify predators. These vicious dragons love nothing more than to crack open bones with their stony beaks and eat the marrow inside. Voracious scavengers, Black Marrows will swarm and devour corpses both old and fresh, sometimes even dragging larger finds to the water to allow them to “ripen.” Despite their dreadful demeanour and often horrid stench, Black Marrows are devoted mates and parents.

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.

Tainted Rose is a surprising kind marrow with positive feelings toward his home, the cave of Dragoncia. When he was a young hatchling he was taught the many wonderful things of the world by his mom, a rosebud. She told him the wonders of life, family and the joy of living. He now knows it by heart and protects his home with ferocity and love. His favorite meal is freshly killed black goose soaked in rotten blackberry juice. He has a secret cavern filled with unique fossils under a large and old oak tree. His best friend is a male vampire named Midnight Tooth who has thoughts and a childhood similar to Tainted Rose's.