Hellhorse Dragons are foul-tempered, spirited creatures with tempestuous and violent dispositions. Torrents of scorching flames erupt from their bodies and can easily set their surroundings ablaze. Highly aggressive and territorial toward other dragon species, Hellhorses will tolerate others as long as they believe the association to be beneficial. Such alliances are tenuous in nature and frequently short-lived, as the slightest disagreement can easily escalate into a full-out brawl.

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.

Miss Yelp is the child of a mason and a slave girl, the product of convenience but the pride of her father's little 'collection' of hellhorse spawn. Yelp's role in her clan is to assess the offspring of her fellow dragon, drive out the weak, separate the culls and sacrifices from their guardians and parade the worthy survivors around in front of the older dragons they may one day serve or perhaps even surpass.

Yelp is held in high regard by the nobledragons of Clan Akhathen, but the lower class has a near unanimous loathing for her.