Originating from a single species that thrived in ancient times, Xenowyrms have become an incredibly diverse breed whose appearances vary depending on their habitats. Each Xenowyrm subspecies is heavily reliant on the power of different types of mana, making them powerful magic users. Astrapi are easily the most temperamental of all Xenowyrm subspecies. Their unpredictable behavior—coupled with their masterful control of lightning magic—has the potential for devastating results. Most of their time is spent airborne, flying through the skies or circling mountainsides for prey.

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.

Holdfast Weyr is known as The Coil by former Braid dragons, Seawrack Tangle by former Xenotangle Weyr residents, and Holdfast Weyr by everyone else. Even though nobody can agree on what to call the place, it manages to be a close-knit community of dragons united by special living requirements. Tikkev's special requirement is needing to be around dragons who can tolerate an extremely short-tempered astrapi. She started off in the Prevention Strand, but a limited ability to deal with other dragons made her more of a liability than an asset. At the Coil, she found she had an affinity for magical research, so she now has several long-distance projects going with Xenotangle Weyr researchers. Communication by specially-enchanted crystal plates is far less stressful than meeting face-to-face, especially since she can "accidentally" short out the system when she's had enough.