Cavern Lurker Dragons are nocturnal ambush predators. Although small, they are very aggressive and will attack anything weak enough to be overpowered. Their preferred method of hunting is to lie in wait in a cave, burrow, or other small, enclosed space; when any potential prey passes they will lunge out to grab hold of the unsuspecting victim and drag it back into the lair. Cavern Lurkers have an odd aversion to sunlight and almost never venture out during the day. More commonly sighted are the odd piles of bones they stack near the entrance to their dens. Their mating call is a low-pitched bumping noise.

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.

The Thing in the Mirror is a zoo exhibit. It doesn't seem to mind. It doesn't seem to have any opinion of anything. It's one of the less popular exhibits, and visitors tend to stay away from it, especially after that business with the busker. The reluctant keeper tasked with feeding this dragon must approach it with care and with guard up, because it has no qualms about yanking in anything that gets near enough its metallic enclosure. The Thing eats rats, which are easy enough to come by, but it likes them beheaded. Something unsettling happens to the rat bodies when offered: some fog billows from the Thing and encompasses them, and they twitch and thrash, just for the Thing to nab and "kill" them again, all while whispering and beckoning the keeper to come closer. Sensible keepers turn and flee as soon as feeding time is done.