Caligene Dragons have long been considered omens of death—reinforced by the skeletal markings on their bodies. They exert a malignant force on the world around them, causing other living things to slowly waste away in their presence. Caligenes favor the seasons of summer and autumn, disappearing entirely from the forests they inhabit during winter and spring. These malevolent dragons are physically weak, though this is countered by their natural stealthiness and alarming speed—enabling them to close in on large targets quickly and silently to create ambushes from which prey cannot escape.

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.

Ashley Gherkin is the youngest of the Gherkins Brothers, a group of three brothers who were forced into thievery when they were very young in order to survive. He's the most silver-tongued out of the three of them, managing to convince dragons to trust him even despite being a Caligene dragon, and thus is often sent to scout out information about the dragons they plan on stealing from.

He's often reassuring the two other brothers, Samuel and Phillip, that he's quite alright with leading the life he does, even though he'd much rather not have to steal to survive. Ashley trusts his brothers, though, to make the right decisions—and if his persuasive personality helps them, then he'll use it to the best of his ability.