Dorsal Dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates.

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.

Since hatching, Zar'roc was under the care of a cruel human. This human had brainwashed the hatchling, teaching her to fight and kill under his command in a hunt for power. Though her species of dragon aren't built for fighting, her upbringing has taught her how to use her tact to take others' lives at any cost. Eventually, her human passed away with old age, leaving a tainted dragon without reason to exist.

Feared and hated by the surrounding packs for her brutal nature, Zar'roc isolated herself away from civilization wanting nothing more than to simply pass on and rejoin her master in the afterlife. However, she was found by the son of her past master, another being who knew the curse that came with the connection to the deceased man. They now travel together, Zar'roc obediently following the boy under the belief that the old man's possessions should be passed to the eldest son.

Zar'roc means 'misery' in her old master's native tongue.