Copper Dragons are masters of stealth, slipping silently and swiftly through the forests and jungles where they live. Often hunting in groups, their prey rarely know they are being stalked until the dragon’s at their throat. In the air they are agile and skilled. Copper Dragons prize family groups, spending large amounts of time teaching their young skills. So great is their love of life and family that they will sometimes adopt orphaned dragons of other breeds to raise.

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.

Flatboat is the fourth E-listed son in a large, business-oriented family. The wealthy and shrewd elder adults have plans for every eventuality, so survival is no issue for the clan. He and his siblings oversee small and medium-sized dealings but otherwise have a lot of time to do other things, and everyone has a different job and set of interests. Flatboat rents boats. After an ego-crushing slip and skid off a rowboat, he declared that round bottomed boats (those with curved "floors") are no longer allowed and only flat bottomed boats can be rented. He sent out assistants to order flatboats and other appropriate vessels and to sell the bad boats. This lost him a lot of clients, but he is strong in his conviction to uphold the round bottomed boat ban. News of his desire only for flat bottoms gradually spread. He isn't seeking a mate, so whenever a dragon struts up to him and asks about starting a romantic partnership, not a business partnership, he reacts with confusion and declines.