Caligene Dragons have long been considered omens of death—reinforced by the skeletal markings on their bodies. They exert a malignant force on the world around them, causing other living things to slowly waste away in their presence. Caligenes favor the seasons of summer and autumn, disappearing entirely from the forests they inhabit during winter and spring. These malevolent dragons are physically weak, though this is countered by their natural stealthiness and alarming speed—enabling them to close in on large targets quickly and silently to create ambushes from which prey cannot escape.

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.

The arrival of seven secretive dragons at a bitter autumn's end was preceded by a miasma—a cold, choking thing that crept and festered for months, writhing along the cavern floors and poisoning the air. Eggs softened, hatchlings grew frail, even hardy dragons fell ill. Not all survived.

Shadows was the first to arrive from the mist, red eyes gleaming in the dark. A pact was made; an end to the sickness in return for shelter and food for the roaming Caligenes he presided over. While few dragons were pleased to negotiate with the creatures that had indirectly caused so much suffering, fewer still were willing to see what kind of destruction these new dragons could cause if angered.

Currently, an uneasy peace reigns between the newcomers and the clan. While Shadows has kept true to his word and no further harm has come to the dragons of the clan, the memories of the plague are not so quickly forgotten—and dragons, and their grudges, can live a very long time.