Spinel Wyverns are small, sleek dragons that zealously collect spinel gemstones to line their nests. They are very affectionate with those they bond with, and will happily spend hours grooming a dragon of a different species if allowed to. Spinels are well-known for their even temperament, but when offended, they are very slow to forgive and will never forget. These wyverns will readily perform tasks in exchange for spinels, and occasionally other stones. Occasionally, they can be born with iridescent pale green scales instead of the usual rich red-violet.

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.

Al was always the mature one. Though he was his parents' second child, he was the one who was the "grown-up" in the family, not appreciating his father's carefree disposition nor his mother's distant dreaming. He was not a floating cloud off on a faraway horizon; he was the grounded stone, wise for his young age. He loved the smell of books, so much like his mother, but also loved the beautiful flowers, that adorned nature's head like a crown. The trees that held the earth firm. He was the link to the mundane world that his far-off family needed so direly. He was the key.