Dark Lumina Dragons received their names from their highly reflective scales, which—at times—seem to glow. They are vain, always strutting about and preening incessantly; if one of their scales has so much as a scratch or a defect, they’ll remove it. Luckily, their scales grow back quickly, and each new growth is more beautiful than the last. These narcissistic dragons live in small groups and prefer to surround themselves with beauty. The males guard their territory and eggs while the females search for meat to eat. Dark Lumina Dragons are much meaner than their cousins.

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.

Joan is the author of an award-winning treatise and a member of the "Action Group", a club of sorts that was initially formed on a lark but has since evolved into an esteemed organization with limits to membership. Her ticket in was her well-documented investigation into the history of the 18-fingered masks of St Malmor's Day. She interviewed 14 individuals and turned up various pieces of documentation, including a page of procedure once thought forever lost. Along with her treatise on St Malmor's traditions, Joan's activities were documented by several other dragons. They thought she was a dark lumina up to no good, so they followed her and took notes so they could be submitted as evidence when she inevitably did the evil she was planning. Her written work and those notes provided ample evidence that her efforts should be celebrated. During Action Group meetings, Joan speaks up most often on matters of historical preservation and dig sites, and she monopolizes the mutton fritters.