Aria dragons are a brightly-colored and sprightly breed, perhaps most adored for their lyric calls. Their song-like melodies fill the areas they inhabit; their coos resemble those of birds, only more elegant and refined. They have fairly strong magical capabilities, but tend to reserve these strengths for last-minute defense, choosing to live their lives in simple peace. Arias, sticking to the tropics, typically live quite far from human settlements, giving rise to the previously held belief that they had gone extinct.

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.

It must be admitted that Sunrise is vain, lazy, and not at all bright. However she is also loyal, dedicated, and makes friends easily. The weyr's founder once said, "I've been called many things, Ferwe and Ferris, Ithuriel, Janus, Brendan. All these are a part of me, but I suppose my favorite is Ferwe." Sunrise is the one who suggested that Weyr members adopt the family name of 'Ferwe' to honor him.

Like Aljav, Sunrise is an artist. In all but the worst weather you can find her perched on the east rim of the weyr near Frasier's clearing either basking or grooming herself. From that point she can be seen both by those within the weyr and those approaching up the river that drains the weyr's crater. For expected visitors and known friends she will rise to her feet, pose, and greet them with a marvelous song. She's generally peaceful, but can become enraged if insulted. She refuses to eat songbirds at all, but will happily dine on corvines even outside of mating season.