Brute Dragons are among the larger dragon breeds. They prefer to live in solitude or small groups, nesting in high, mountainous regions. The only time they openly seek the company of others is during the mating season, when males will fight for the attention of females. The thunderous crash of Brute Dragons butting horns against each other in competition for mates can be heard nearly a mile away.

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.

Unlike the petty dragonesses life-mated to many of the cave's other alpha males, this Brute female has come to be as well regarded as her senior guard of a mate, Halvor. Maria was a fair creature in her youth, bestowed with more cunning than any other female Halvor had met before, and he labored to defeat dozens of opponents before he had won her favor. Since that fateful clashing, the pair have chosen not to partake in the seasonal battles their species are so well-known for, dedicating themselves to one another. Proud but self-aware, Maria has come to perhaps unintentionally dominate the cave's social circles, even as her mate dominates the field. Maria has also served as a warrior for the cave when necessary, despite her age.