Gold dragons are the ones most often killed by humans, who consider their scales to be extremely valuable. These golden scales grant them a high level of protection, similar to armor, and they use this to their advantage in battle.

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.

A long family tradition of marrying close relatives didn't give The Utterly Mad's sanity a good start. He and his mate The High Vor combine superstition, history, prejudice, valor, and red-and-blue suits into one neat package wrapped in more craziness than even Kad's typical dragon gets. Somehow they wrestled positions in the upper echelons, and now set fashion taste and clan policy. However, clearer-eyed newcomers—such as ever-practical That Betan Frill—know their leadership survives mostly on show.