Vampire Dragons are members of the undead. They sustain themselves by drinking the blood of others. It is said that they are only “alive” at night, and seem dead or asleep during the day, as they cannot endure sunlight for long periods of time. Vampire Dragons can only reproduce by changing the eggs of other dragons, puncturing the shell with their fangs and injecting venom that kills the baby inside.

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.

Zikkal volunteers at an infirmary, where she puts her unusual talent to work. Almost all vampires can tell species apart by taste, and some can wax poetic over a meal in much the same way a wine connoisseur might over a favorite vintage, but Zikkal's talent is subtler. A few drops of blood are all she needs to determine if two individuals have the right sort of similarity that allows one to share blood with the other in an emergency. Zikkal's breed type makes both humans and other dragons nervous around her, so she tend to stay out of sight, but she feels a little loneliness is worth getting to save a life. Her one regret is that she's forced to be dormant during the day.