Dragons are creatures with nearly unlimited life spans. They can survive for long periods of time, and no one has found a dragon that has died of old age. Adolescence 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. Once they hit adolescence, hatchlings change quickly, maturing to their full forms in only 2 years.

Dragons don't communicate with each other verbally, but they will growl to scare off predators and frighten prey. Young dragons will emit an extremely high-pitched squeal when they are frightened. To communicate, they use telepathy with each other and to speak to other creatures.

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.

Quenya the Speaker is the voice of his clan. Eloquent and graceful, he can put the wishes of the Elders in better words than they themselves could devise. When he has not been sent as a messenger to neighboring clans, he can often be found mediating between clan members that have some disagreement. One reason the Elders are proud to have Quenya as their voice is that he, being a black dragon, can take care of himself, and when the situation proves too dangerous to send in the gregarious mint Telperion, Quenya can serve as a more stern and forceful messenger.