Black Marrows are named for their dark colored hides which are encased in a distinct exoskeleton. Their skull and the top edges of their spine push out from under the skin as they age. As such, their young need excessive amounts of calcium for this armor to develop. The older a Black Marrow dragon is, the more skeletal their appearance. They often use their skeletal looks to lure in foolish scavengers or terrify predators. These vicious dragons love nothing more than to crack open bones with their stony beaks and eat the marrow inside. Voracious scavengers, Black Marrows will swarm and devour corpses both old and fresh, sometimes even dragging larger finds to the water to allow them to “ripen.” Despite their dreadful demeanour and often horrid stench, Black Marrows are devoted mates and parents.

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.

It was a stormy Halloween when the carnival rolled into town. Kalina, on one of her few breaks from working at the nursery, decided to brave the storm in order to visit this event she had heard so much about. The carnival was near deserted due to the weather, and Kalina sought refuge in the fortune teller's tent. It was there that Zena whispered the terrifying words in her ear. "Beware the Jabberwock my child. The teeth that bite and the claws that catch." Never one for superstitions, Kalina shrugged it off and braved the storm on her way back home. But as she returned to her work that night, she was distressed to see that one of the new marrow hatchlings had been named Jabberwock. Jabberwock was just as happy and playful as the other hatchlings, but Kalina was still concerned. She returned to the carnival that night, only to find it deserted, and Zena long gone. So Kalina resolved to watch the hatchling, but little did she know that he was watching her as well.