Sunrise Dragons are closely related to sunset dragons. However, their behaviors differ greatly. Sunrise Dragons prefer to live in large groups and enjoy basking in the early morning sun. They are usually most active in the morning, and go to sleep in the early evening.

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.

Vespasian Altan, "evening dawn", is the younger brother of Aelis Kusuma. He is smaller than most sunrises, and shy and quiet as well. So the other dragons teased him, calling him "Drag-dwarf". Vespasian once tried to die by flying into the sun, but Aelis stopped him before he could reach his goal. As soon as Aelis pulled him down to earth, he made Vespasian promise to never attempt suicide. From then on, he and Aelis were the closest of brothers. So Vespasian relies on Aelis; he is insecure, even regarding his own nature (thus the paradox in his name). Aside from his emotional difficulties, Vespasian does rudimentary work, carving runes in the cave with his claws according the dragon's dictations. This keeps his mind busy, and helps keep his claws sharp for bringing down logs to haul to the camp, another job of his. Vespasian does not like games, but he loves a good meal as well as listening to music.