Deep Sea Dragons, as their name suggests, spend most of their time in the darkest depths of the sea. They have a bioluminescent dorsal spine that serves to attract prey and communicate with their own kind. As with many deep sea animals, they generally eat whatever they can manage to bait. They rarely leave the ocean floor, surfacing only during breeding season. When they do choose to travel to the shallower depths, they avoid bright lights and will only come up far away from shore.

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.

Elusive by nature, Sea Splendor is the loner of the family. She spends most of her day deep below the surface of the nearest sea, only coming to visit her brothers and sisters at night. Swimming up stream to the lake near the family's home grove, she spends a few hours under the stars with Winter Waterlily and Sunset Serenade, the only two able and willing to stay awake for her visits. Before she goes, she leaves several "gifts" for the hatchlings, shiny rocks and pretty shells that they adore.