Gold dragons are the ones most often killed by humans, who consider their scales to be extremely valuable. These golden scales grant them a high level of protection, similar to armor, and they use this to their advantage in battle.

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.

Herring, a responsible and patient young dragon, governs the forest that grows on the clan's mountain, managing the day-to-day doings of the many dragons and creatures that live out in the trees. It's quite a rough job, dealing with all of the insane vine dragons, the reclusive neotropicals, and the assorted hunting parties that will fly out from the central cave. However, Herring learned the secret to getting the inhabitants' attention long ago- when necessary, he simply cuts down a tree. He's quite good at felling the pines with a single whack of his tail, oddly enough. Herring has only needed to resort to this technique twice since taking up his position, and the clan considers him to be a grand success.