Copper Dragons are masters of stealth, slipping silently and swiftly through the forests and jungles where they live. Often hunting in groups, their prey rarely know they are being stalked until the dragon’s at their throat. In the air they are agile and skilled. Copper Dragons prize family groups, spending large amounts of time teaching their young skills. So great is their love of life and family that they will sometimes adopt orphaned dragons of other breeds to raise.

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.

Will Shortz is a table tennis cave owner and puzzler. Raised among a herd of horse dragons, he discovered his love of wordplay and games at a young age and spoke with humans who were the same way. He eventually attended Misnamed Indus' Overseas Academy, on his way to being an attorney, but he abandoned it to specialize in enigmatology, the study of puzzles. Some dragons wonder if "enigmatology" is a legitimate term and concept, since Shortz seemed to have invented it and is the only creature to say he's well-understood in that area. However, it's difficult to argue with someone who's spent decades devising and editing puzzles in the territory's paper periodicals. He's a celebrity to the area's puzzle enthusiasts, and many want to work under him.