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.

Checkerboard was so named because of his ancestors, most of which form a beautiful pattern.  He is extremely proud of this plus the fact that he has quite a few rare dragons in his lineage and can often be found telling the wide-eyed hatchlings of tales composed of heroic acts that his ancestors may or may not have done.  However, he is deathly afraid of Chickens for no reason that anyone can see.  Checkerboard is, as you could say, "chicken of Chickens."