Magelight Pygmy Wyverns make their homes deep under the earth, and produce a flammable, oily secretion from the tips of their tails to make light. The substance is long-burning, and brooding mothers douse their eggs in the oil while they incubate. Hatchlings’ tails subsequently catch fire at birth after coming into contact with their burning shells. Magelights are useful to human miners, as they are docile and easily trained to alert to the presence of methane damps, caved sections of tunnel, and proximity of nearby dragons to ensure the safety of crews.

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.

Pygmy dragons are the smallest category of dragons, being on the same scale as domesticated animals. They are often found around concentrated populations of dragons, relying on their larger brethren to ward away potential predators and leave scraps. As such, the majority of a pygmy’s diet is scavenged. Due to their tiny size, pygmies do not breed with larger varieties of dragons.

Salamander Oil was bred with the specific purpose to assist miners as they worked. This changed when the miners who owned her attempted to start mining in an underground cavern. While surveying the cave prior to the start of the mining project, Salamander Oil discovered that the underground cavern was home to Strombolia and her band of abandoned dragons. After hearing about how the motley group of Pygmies wound up living there and how they wished to avoid being discovered, Salamander Oil decided to do what she could to help them. With the help of the prankster, Caper, she tricked the miners into believing that the underground cave was filled with poisonous gases before faking her death in a small cave-in. After the miners left, Salamander Oil remained with Strombolia's clan, where she continued to deter any other groups of miners from mining in the clan's secret cave.