Vampire Dragons are members of the undead. They sustain themselves by drinking the blood of others. It is said that they are only “alive” at night, and seem dead or asleep during the day, as they cannot endure sunlight for long periods of time. Vampire Dragons can only reproduce by changing the eggs of other dragons, puncturing the shell with their fangs and injecting venom that kills the baby inside.

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.

Lisben was the very first Vampire dragon entrusted to Afeare. The woman who is now the Clan Leader of Ceren was only a child at the time, and had not yet Bonded. Afeare was never told, nor did she care to learn, what Lisben would have been had her egg not been bitten and given to Afeare as a hatchling by Willa, the Head Breeder of Ceren. Afeare raised Lisben alongside Sae'iri, a Swallowtail dragon, and refused to let Lisben slip into the loner habits of most Vampire dragons. Now an adult, Lisben cares for any vampire eggs the clan brings in. Clan rules say she is allowed to keep as many as ten of the eggs she bites as her own, but, despite having bitten three dragons, she has offered up each of them. The second of her children was raised by a Keeper in a different part of the Caves of Ceren, but Ravyn and Mjrn were raised, like Lisben, to be honest and social dragons. Her adopted clutch-mate, Sae'iri, has offered to let Lisben bite and keep the first egg she has with her mate.