Striped Dragons come in a dazzling array of colors complemented by an intricate pattern of stripes. These bright colors and patterns help attract their favorite food, insects. Because their prey is so tiny, striped dragons must spend a large portion of their day eating. The color of the offspring is usually determined by the dragon’s mate.

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.

Liethel's best friend is her half-niece, Faytiel, a green striped dragon. The two are about the same age and could almost be twins, except that Liethel is slightly louder and more outgoing.

Their striped-dragon family ties are somewhat confusing, with lots of half-brothers and step-grandsons and whatnot in a rainbow of colors. Liethel thought she had it simple when swore her love to a roguish purple dorsal named Nukah and no other dragon, but she was wrong. Her first two (striped) sons ran off into the wild for some reason, and her third son, Vendran, is pretty much the only dorsal dragon at their family get-togethers. (This is why Faytiel doesn't have children.)