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.

In the village where she lives, Glyphosate is popular among the farmers. They feed her to keep her nearby because her caligene magic kills the pests that prey on their crops, decreasing the losses. Even though they've attempted to develop varieties of plants that are immune to her magic, they are slightly less productive than normal ones, and if they actually factored in the amount of crops they use to feed the swine and chickens she eats, they would realize they are netting less than if she wasn't there. The vilagers also insist that Glyphosate has no relation to the surprisingly low average intelligence of children in the village compared to neighboring towns, nor strange illnesses that are significantly common in her village. It would probably be in the farmers' best interests to round her up and get rid of her.

Glyphosate doesn't really care about any of the humans nor their health—she's just in it for the free food.