Holiday dragons are a very mysterious breed. They are only seen during winter, and even then it is hard to catch a glimpse of one. They are responsible for the general cheer that spreads during the holidays. In essence, they are the “Spirits of Winter.”

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.

Mashail studies and creates bumps on the ground. If the ground has textures in strategic places, walkers can tell where they are; even blind travelers can get a sense of which part of the road they're on by the feel of the tactile bumps beneath their feet. Mashail learned this himself when, while blindly stumbling around in the dark, he noted that the cobbles around town center were smoother, and those around the poorer areas were awfully rocky. Now, he conducts research by walking on the roads and on floor samples for hours, and he also writes lots of reports about his findings. His longest paper to date, "Guidance on the use of tactile paving surfaces", is not a gripping read. Mashail knows that some people have trouble getting traction on technical documents, but he also knows that when his studies are applied to real settlements where it really matters, people are glad he's around.