Black Truffle Dragons are one of the rarest breeds—though this was not always the case. Once, these dragons were quite prolific, but their musky-smelling secretions were found to be useful in the making of perfumes and scented oils, leading the dragons to be hunted near the point of extinction. Now, these dragons live far away from humans and will only share their oil with those they deem worthy of this gift, those possessing a pure heart and selfless spirit.

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.

Billah and Dinah, though not biological sisters, are as close as siblings since they hatched and grew up together.

Billah suspects that Dinah is more popular than her, because she is smart and brave and always knows what to do. But Billah has some good qualities too: she is gentle, she is kind, and she is pretty without being vain. She is usually surrounded by smaller creatures because she can't resist pampering and feeding them, and because her musky smell masks the natural smell of the smaller creatures, making them less easily detectable to predators.