Misfit Pygmies are brightly-colored dragons who love to make life miserable for other creatures. When several Misfits group together, it is certain that there is mischief afoot. They do everything they can to tease, causing general mayhem for all. Misfit Dragons will steal food from beneath other dragons’ noses both for fun, and to fill their bellies. While they are known for their tricks and pranks, they have a rarely-displayed sweet side and will search out little treasures to present to their chosen mate.

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.

Pygmy dragons are the smallest category of dragons, being on the same scale as domesticated animals. They are often found around concentrated populations of dragons, relying on their larger brethren to ward away potential predators and leave scraps. As such, the majority of a pygmy’s diet is scavenged. Due to their tiny size, pygmies do not breed with larger varieties of dragons.

If Jadal Magikos had known more about Veixaira, he'd never have accepted her gift of two misfit pygmy eggs, but he did, and so life at Ordinary Weyr was forever changed.  Gremlyn and Hindrance have done nothing but cause trouble since they were hatched, driving the other residents to distraction, and all that's kept them from being banished is Jadal's soft-heartedness.  Of the two, Hindrance is the more active, causing trouble by getting underfoot or starting fights among the hatchlings.  He truly lives up to his name, and it's only thanks to luck and a certain amount of agility that he hasn't been less-than-accidentally stepped on.  Hindrance's closest friend is Gremlyn, but he's also won some admirers among the hatchlings, who annoy their nestmates by imitating his antics.