Black Dragons are warriors. They are strong and capable in battles of force, but also ample magic users, capable of devastating opponents with their spells. Their bright eyes give them excellent night vision, which is why they generally hunt during the night.

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.

Schmerz is perfectly talkative and pleasant with his fellow dragons. In his youth, females flocked around him and males respected his strength and valor; they particularly enjoyed the tale of the older drake whose gullet Schmerz ripped out when he dared speak an ill word of the young dragon's mother. But Schmerz's closest companions have seen another side of him—the side that, on blustery days, wanders alone to the bluffs near the cavern and stares toward the sea. His shape looks so small against the sky, and his posture so diminished, that on such days he seems a different dragon altogether. Those who watch can only imagine, and can never bear to imagine for long, how great and dark and lonesome the pain in his heart must be.