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.

Runs Ulcer got his name in a funny way.

As an egg, he was traded by two humans over a great distance. The two humans used letters to discuss the trade, and his previous owner had a magic pen, known as a smartpen, with which she wrote her letters. The smartpen had a spell on it, so that it could write whole words just by a humans touch, but it didn't always function so well. When naming Runs Ulcer's father, Tinsilver Metal, the smartpen wrote Runs Ulcer, confusing the humans very much.

In the end, the human agreed that it was a funny and fitting way of naming him after his father, and being a reminder of the funny mix-up.