Balloon Dragons are so named because they are filled with a gas that makes them almost lighter than air, similar to balloons. However, they are not prone to bursting, as they are covered in tough skin and can deflate themselves if necessary. In addition, they generally are slow moving. They use their gas bladders to float to the tops of trees, where food is more abundant. They can shift their weight from their backs to their fronts, allowing them to reach leaves and fruit.

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.

Ballisk is a bit of a mystery in the cave but, not in the same way as the ochredrakes. Other balloon dragons can control how they float, or so the others hear, and yet Ballisk seems to have lost that ability. Some think it was because he ate too much and his body is still trying to work it out, while others believe that some critical synapses in his brain are missing.

Whatever the reason, Ballisk always needs a bit of help getting around, more often then not in the form of a tiny hatchling dragging him about by his tail.