Gold dragons are the ones most often killed by humans, who consider their scales to be extremely valuable. These golden scales grant them a high level of protection, similar to armor, and they use this to their advantage in battle.

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.

When Damsel was born, the clan psychic Clairvoyant decided that Damsel must be a female. Accordingly, since the egg seemed to get into all sorts of misadventures, from nearly being squashed by a stone dragon to having the dull What a Chauvinist attempt to fry him for breakfast, he was nicknamed Damsel in Distress before he hatched. The entirety of Kad's clan was quite dismayed to find their beloved accident magnet was actually a male, but the name had already stuck.

Damsel refuses to leave the clan weyr lest he be jeered at by other adult dragons for his feminine name. He is appropriately mated to Gender Confusion, an athletic and disdainful pink who does much of his physical work for him. Thus, he spends most of his days dreaming up ways to revenge himself on that stupid little Clairvoyant.