This breed of dragon results from eggs or hatchlings that have been neglected. They are usually rebellious, not obeying their masters, sometimes even attacking them. However, their neglect as a hatchling leaves them crippled, and they are weak compared to other breeds, causing them to stay with their masters for protection.

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.

The first frosts of the year were bitter, and it was with grim hopelessness that Artemis Cloudfoot returned to the caverns much earlier than usual, bearing an egg he'd discovered on his hunting trip. The poor thing was laced with ice and so discolored it was impossible to tell what species of dragon it even was. It was immediately brought to the nesting mothers for care, but nobody expected it to live long enough to hatch.

And when it did hatch, the rejoicing was bittersweet. It was not just the egg that had been tainted; the hatchling within was born crippled, his skin dull and spikes half-formed. Falter is debilitatingly weak, and very timid in regards to strangers because of his inability to protect himself. However, he's slowly learning to trust the individual dragons of the clan, the clan that took him in, saved him, and protects him with their lives. He may never be able to fend for himself, but the dragons hope that he'll at least someday develop some confidence.