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.

Layrk is, on the surface, not an especially dangerous vampire. She doesn't acquire minions or wreak havoc, or even bite very many eggs. She just lurks in the shadows, a ghostlike figure seen out the corner of one's eye. Layrk is more deadly than she might seem, though. She's driven dragons to madness without laying a claw on them, simply by waiting nearby, a half-seen specter, for months on end. If her victim is made of sterner stuff, she'll leave more tangible signs of her presence—footprints and the like—or even roll unhatched eggs around when nobody's awake to watch them, to show them the damage she could do if she felt like it.