Shadow Walkers are a strange breed that possess the ability to slip between the planes of reality, becoming immaterial. This allows them to hide in the shadows, either hunting from the concealment of near invisibility or evading enemies. Though they become corporeal to mate or to eat, they spend most of the rest of their lives walking in the shadows. Shadow Walkers are wary creatures, though on dark autumn evenings when the leaves fall to swirl in the chill, rain damp air, they may be seen drifting out from the shadows.

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.

Shadia is a very shy dragon. She spends most of her time hiding in the shadows, only speaking with her Shadow Walker friends. The only time she may come out of the darkness is at night, where most dragons sleep. Her shyness comes from the fact that when she was a hatchling, no one paid any attention to her. Maybe they didn't see her, or maybe they didn't care. But when they finally noticed her, they took advantage of her naivety and made her do embarrassing things, picking on her and scarring her.

Because of her traumatizing experience, Shadia is very kind to those she trusts. She would give her life and limb for her friends, but unfortunately they fail to realize because she fails to tell them. She may be nice and all, but her emotions are bottled up inside of her, preventing her from sharing her true feelings. Just like other dragons, emotions frighten her. They present a complicated way of viewing things that Shadia is not ready for, nor ever will be.