Shimmer-scale Dragons are a very beautiful breed with small—but highly reflective—scales that shimmer and shine as the dragon moves through water. They don’t have fins or webbed feet, but their long, eel-like bodies allow them to swim quite fast. They were once rumored to carry large pearls in their claws—causing many to seek them out in search of this fabulous treasure. In reality, the “pearl” is of greater value to the dragon, for the fabled treasure is actually an egg carried by a migrating female.

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.

Tuisceanach is a Shimmer-scale dragon who, as her name suggests, values understanding above all else. When referring to 'understanding', Tuisceanach doesn't simply mean knowledge. Knowledge can be easily accessed in books and other sources of information. It is capable of being absorbed in a shallow, superficial manner, unlike understanding. Tuisceanach says that understanding and the ability to understand affects all aspects of a dragon's life.

Tuisceanach herself has sought all kinds of experiences in an effort to understand them better, whether through doing them or accessing them through the memories of another dragon. As a result, she is both very wise and very empathetic. Tuisceanach is an inhabitant of "The Great Lake", the largest and most uncreatively named of all the lakes in the Land of HeroHorse. However, it is not unusual to find Tuisceanach journeying a different waterway, searching for experiences that can broaden her understanding of the world and its many wonders.