Shimmer-scale Dragons are a very beautiful breed with small—but highly reflective—scales that shimmer and shine as the dragon moves through water. They don’t have fins or webbed feet, but their long, eel-like bodies allow them to swim quite fast. They were once rumored to carry large pearls in their claws—causing many to seek them out in search of this fabulous treasure. In reality, the “pearl” is of greater value to the dragon, for the fabled treasure is actually an egg carried by a migrating female.

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.

Many saw Wu Zao as nothing more than a pretty face, but her beautiful shimmering scales hid her deadly ambitions and desire for power. She was hatched a commoner but given the taste of royalty when the king fell for her, and quickly began to form her plans for taking the kingdom for herself. The king foolishly trusted her, and when he mysteriously fell ill it was she who ruled their kingdom in his behalf. Upon his death Wu Zao was triumphant; finally she had the power she had waited so long for. But one sneaky dragon stuck his snout in where he shouldn't and exposed her long plot that ultimately led to the king's death. In outrage the dragons of the kingdom sentenced her to exile, condemning her to live as she had been hatched: a commoner. She took to the old stream she favored when she was younger, hiding herself in the muddy bank while plotting to take back what was once hers.