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.

One of the most violent dragons in the clan, Virulent is more fond of brawling than even most black dragons. Although he isn't exactly wonderful at fighting - his knowledge is mostly gained firsthand after being humiliated by his "playmates" - Virr takes it easy, as a mere game, and ignores his frequent injuries. Unlike (occasional) mate Vengeful he lacks superstitions and lucky charms, instead relying on the occasional lucky blow to avoid being killed in mock battles. Many in the clan laugh at him as he is easily defeated by his much smaller and less muscular mate. Virr just smiles enigmatically at the hecklers that show up to watch him be slaughtered over and over, knowing he's their nightly entertainment, and perhaps knowing some other things that are not so obvious...