Ember Dragons have a great affinity for hot environments. While they themselves are not hot to the touch, their tendency to lurk amongst smoldering ashes has caused many to believe they are fire-starters. Their dully glowing markings serve many purposes: acting as a means of identification between individuals, as an important part of mating displays, and as a way of showing aggression. The long, low build of the breed makes them ungainly in flight, and the thick fleshy membranes of their wings hinder them further. As such, it is rare to see an Ember Dragon take to the air. Ember Dragons are also not particularly sociable; females tend to be defensive, whereas males are more aggressive. Once they have settled with a particular group of dragons, Ember Dragons are incredibly loyal and will defend their pack by any means possible.

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.

On a silver-frosted spring night, a strange occurrence brought Moonchild's Ashes to the clan. Belias, who often sleeps alone beneath the stars, woke to see a blazing aura about the full moon. As he watched, it coalesced into a ball of dark flame and hurtled to the earth mere yards from his nest. When he investigated he discovered an ember egg sitting in a small, smoldering crater. He brought the egg straight to Lady Nerruse, who didn't know what to make of his odd tale. They took it to the Elders, who confirmed the egg's strange lineage. Moonchild's Ashes is very still for one of her kind and spends her nights sitting in open spaces, gazing up at the moon. Her markings glow not red but silver-white and their brightness seems to correspond with the lunar phases. No one is quite sure what to make of her, though she seems to have some sort of unspoken bond with the equally mysterious magi, Mydako.