Vampire Dragons are members of the undead. They sustain themselves by drinking the blood of others. It is said that they are only “alive” at night, and seem dead or asleep during the day, as they cannot endure sunlight for long periods of time. Vampire Dragons can only reproduce by changing the eggs of other dragons, puncturing the shell with their fangs and injecting venom that kills the baby inside.

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.

Spawned from a clutch of mysterious icy eggs that appeared in the cave on Hallow's Eve, Artemis Cloudfoot magically bonded with one of the older dragons, a young black male by the name of Artemys Fowl, when he touched the frozen shell with his snout. He lost the cold sense of apathy that his two sisters possessed, and when he hatched, unlike his siblings, he remained close to the older black dragon, gaining the sense of loyalty to the clan that his sisters lacked. He hated what he was, and tried his best to defy his dark nature. The other dragons didn't trust him, however, and probably would have tried to destroy him if Artemys hadn't protected him from them. But his loyalty was accepted without question when his two sisters, Prowls and Ascended, turned on the clan and tried to massacre the dragons. Artemis bravely fought them off with his enhanced abilities, and since then, the strangely noble vampire has stood protector of the cave, ever waiting for his two adversaries to return.