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.

Au Three shared a childhood home with several dragons his age, among them his father-in-law, Au Two—a strange and amusing coincidence. During the first family get-together in 40 years, the two of them did the standard practice of walking in a circle and sizing each other up, which quickly became "Two!" and "Three!" when they realized they know each other. Unlike most dragons in the cohort, upon leaving the nest, Three picked a spot in the forest a short walk from a human settlement, close enough so he could study their customs and creations, though distanced enough that his existence wouldn't be easily discovered by anyone in town. He has a lifelong project to compile words that they have in their language that he doesn't have a concise term for in his (such as "in-law"). His better half sometimes helps, but her bright coloration and aura make it more difficult to do so in secret. The way humans are drawn to her and try to interact with her makes Three's skin crawl.