Vampire Dragons are members of the undead. They sustain themselves by drinking the blood of others. It is said that they are only “alive” at night, and seem dead or asleep during the day, as they cannot endure sunlight for long periods of time. Vampire Dragons can only reproduce by changing the eggs of other dragons, puncturing the shell with their fangs and injecting venom that kills the baby inside.

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.

Alvere Descartes is one of the JavaTiger Clan vampires, all of whom have sworn fealty to Lady Mina, and to house Montague, and do her bidding without question. Alvere fancies himself as something of a philosopher and, much to the chagrin of the Montagues and other vampires, enjoys spending his time in abstract theorization. Every belief, he declares, must be questioned; and nothing but nothing must be accepted simply because someone else says it. Truth, he believes, must be hunted. While most other vampires are busy contemplating how they will obtain their next meal, he would much rather be contemplating the nature of existence and the meaning of life... or would that be undeath. He can be motivated to hunt, of course, and to fight; but the fact is that he feels that both are basically insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The other vampires find him to be somewhat eccentric, and they don't always agree with his conclusions; but they do find his ideas interesting all the same.