Witchlight Dragons are silent, secretive beasts that haunt the most remote corners of the wilderness. They beguile their unsuspecting prey into peril by assaulting their perceptions of reality and stoking the fires of paranoia with masterfully-conjured illusions. Unwary travelers have been led astray by the soft, inviting glow of their eyes amidst a sea of encroaching darkness, never to be seen again. Those that survive a Witchlight Dragon’s psychic onslaughts do not escape unchanged: some believe that the apparitions these dragons summon to tempt or torment their victims awaken them to hidden truths about themselves.

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.

An incessant prowler and chronic wallflower, Actnesis would much rather watch and weave magic where she can't be seen and remains out of the affairs of other witchlights. Whenever she is away from her lair and forgets to disguise her lights, she becomes confused when some clueless creature approaches her. "Well, then, I will just have to eat you so you don't know I'm here," Actnesis sometimes says. Other times, she hastily casts some magic pictures to distract the creature so she can leave unnoticed. She is vexed by a portion of her back, between her wings, that frequently gets itchy and can't be reached for a scratch. When she really forgets herself, one can easily find her writhing on the ground while muttering frustratedly, her spots and eyes waving and blinking erratically.