Thunder Dragons are the masters of electricity. Their wings gather energy as they soar through the clouds, and when they clap their wings together they can create devastating arcs of lightning. They can stay airborne nearly indefinitely, landing only to sleep and breed; they catch their prey from the air and take moisture from the clouds. A thunder dragon’s roar is considered to be an omen of misfortune.

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.

The eggs of Rai, Nutaaq, and Bourkan Nuria were found frozen together by the young human girl Ember. After trying in vain to free them, she brought them to her home in the tallest mountain of Elgar and raised them. The dragons were always together; Bourkan was the strong, fiery one; Rai, the wise, brave one; and Nutaaq, the peacemaker and "rock". Rai found a triangular medal in the forest with lightning, lava, and ice on separate sides and an egg in the middle, which they found out somehow symbolized their future. One day, Rai had an incredible urge to climb to the highest point of the mountain, and so the trio climbed together, leaving behind a scorched, frozen, and static path. When they got to the top, Rai found himself shooting out bolts of lightning into the sky, and Bourkan and Nutaaq too, found that lava and ice shot out of them without warning. When the dust settled, they saw in front of them an image of an egg glowing mysteriously. They grinned. They knew what they had to do.