Dorsal Dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates.

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.

Every inch of her hide is covered with belts, straps, bags, pouches, and assorted packs that are always filled to bursting with foodstuffs and medicines. A traveler at heart, Saoirs never spends much time in one place, and so only takes what is absolutely, certainly, without a doubt, a necessity. However, this list of necessities has expanded over the years, and now includes a year's supply of long-lasting rations, medicines for ailments conceivable and inconceivable, a rock from every coastline and mountain, feathers of every shape and color, teeth of indecipherable origin, bones with symbols carved into them, and hordes of other strange and seemingly useless trinkets. She claims to keep them for their sentimental value, although what they remind her of is almost impossible to say.