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.

When Squealer was a hatchling, he loved to squeal. Most hatchlings only squeal when frightened, but Squealer was different. He squealed whenever he could, and that annoyed all the other dragons in his cave. The day his parents decided he was old enough to fend for himself, he was abandoned. All alone, he sat in a cave of eggs waiting to be adopted, but the day after he was abandoned, an explorer picked him up, studied his color, tail, and legs, and put him in a red satchel to claim Squealer as her own. On the journey to the explorer's cave, Squealer squealed and squealed. When the explorer set him down on the cave floor, Squealer's eyes went bright with happiness that he had found a home where they would truly appreciate him. He knew this because when he was taken out of the satchel, every dragon in the cave squealed!