Mistlet Pygmies thrive in humid environments and are most content when frolicking in the rain or fog. The cheerful demeanor they exhibit provides a remarkable contrast to their shadowy appearance, bringing joy in otherwise gloomy environments. Mistlets are an especially beautiful sight in long summer evenings, as their streak of vibrant scales catch the fading sunlight. They spend a great deal of their time foraging for edible roots and insects, and sometimes enjoy treats in the form of small fish or frogs.

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.

JTR is aware that mistlet pygmies are considered bright and cheerful, but it's hard for her to be. She lives in a nice-looking town, Belak, but there's little of what could be called art or culture now. Most Belakites are more worried about the armed foreign group called the Peaceminders, who don't act peaceful toward them. As a pygmy dragon, JTR can easily walk around unseen, so she sneaks out after curfew to observe things. She's noticed that members of the Peaceminders disagree about a lot, including what to ultimately do about land borders. In the meantime, they continue to come and go as they please. It's an unstable arrangement. It's thought that they are part of a bigger state in conflict with regions nearby. Certainly, nobody's giving the Belakites the news, so they only speculate. While JTR's roomies think the Peaceminders will be defeated either in an uprising or by outside enemies and must retreat, she believes there will be an invasion, and they must brace for the worst.