Gemshard Dragons are small, gregarious, expressive easterns, living in large clans high in the jungle canopy. Their bodies are covered in tiny, gem-like scales that shimmer in direct light, and each dragon has a unique pattern of markings on the forked spade of its tail. Though Gemshard Easterns cannot fly, they often leap from springy branches high into the sky on sunny days and perform acrobatic spins and twirls to entertain themselves. When the weather turns foul, they pile up together on sturdy tree limbs and interlock the forks of their tails with others to keep warm and dry.

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.

Among the gemshard dragons of the JavaTiger Clan, it is a fervent belief that a great Emperor, once upon a time, was transformed into one of their kind and ascended to Heaven along with three of his favorite concubines. As sons often do, the Taizi has imitated his father in taking three mates... three of the most lovely gemshard females in existence, one from each clan. Unlike his father, however, the Taizi has very definitely decreed his favorite...The Lady of Roses, the Silken Concubine, Sichou. Of the three mates, she is the most lovely, as befits a lady of the Rose Clan, as well as the most skilled dancer...AND the most cunning. She is the Taizi's Guifei, and she didn't gain and keep that title on the basis of her good looks and her talent alone, though both undoubtedly helped. The truth is that like the High Concubine Hua, Sichou uses her keen wits to keep the Taizi's favor and defend her position from challengers... and her pretty face OFTEN leads others to underestimate her.