Hellfire Wyverns are so named for their foul tempers and fiery visages. Their social structure places all females above all males, due to superior physical characteristics and violent dispositions. Forced subservience of the males causes them to become vicious, petty, antisocial, and passive-aggressive compared to the aggressive and social females. However, orphaned hatchlings raised by foster parents of another species can develop surprisingly even tempers and mellow dispositions, proving that their defining unpleasant nature is, in fact, a learned behavior.

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.

Living Furnace is the eldest male in his pack, but is also the lowest ranking. He is a predictably bitter and pessimistic individual who spends most of his time at the very edge of his pack's territory. He is mates with an outsider, a kindly Horse dragon who sometimes visits him. These visits are short and seldom, as she would be killed on sight by the other Hellfires in the pack. The two have had several children, one of which belongs to the same pack as Furnace. He believes his mate should be allowed to join, but she has no desire to challenge the alpha for that right. He has pondered leaving the pack many times to live with her, but fears losing its protection. He also feels that he has a duty to stay with his son, who is the only member of the pack he is on friendly terms with.