Gold-horned Tangars are a brightly colored tropical breed. They are primarily herbivores, and eat a wide variety of fruits and flowers in addition to the occasional bird. Tangars are well suited to life in the trees; their slender bodies make them light enough to be supported by thinner branches and agile enough to avoid obstacles while flying. Their brightly colored horns, found in both males and females, are used to attract 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.

Shruthi is aloof and to-the-point, which some strangers call "brusque and unresponsive". She has no interest in building a hoard of shiny stuff and just gives it away without a word if she picks any up. The only things she seems to care about are finding and storing long-lasting food (like dried apricots) and spending time with her on-and-off partners, though she'd probably go for the food if she had to choose between them. After spending so much time with a handful of close friends, she seems to have instilled in them the same apathy for shiny objects and great interest in a surplus of eats.