Perhaps among the most venerated of dragon breeds is the Zyumorph, a breed whose selfless heroism and strong moral compass are nearly unparalleled by other dragons. Zyumorphs have an innate urge to fend off wrongdoing, and as such, are often sought after in times of peril. Although they are independently quite capable fighters, it is said that their true might is not unlocked until all six Zyumorphs are brought together in times of great duress.

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.

Xixiasaurus is easygoing and very slow to anger, and even when he's furious, he remains stoic, or that's how it appears from reading his body language. He always takes his time assessing a problem, sometimes way more time than the situation allows, so it's unclear whether he's level-headed or is too dimwitted to quickly understand something. Nevertheless, many dragons like Xixiasaurus and respect his decisions. Even as a hatchling, the only time his guardians and friends remember him showing extreme emotion is when he broke a horn diving backward into a pool that was shallower than he expected. It was a troubling experience and the horn has never completely grown back, but he bawled about how he hurt the sea stars, chitons, and bivalves in the pool rather than care about his own well-being. Perhaps that's the reason he takes so long to make decisions: he likes to think before he acts (although the thinking process is long) so he doesn't do anything spontaneous and stupid again.