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.

Tim iv grew up on a hog-cattle-sheep farm on which his adoptive parents still reside. He was apparently named after the Tim who first settled in the area, though the dragon Tim's name gradually meshed with the "iv". He left the farm when he was about 40 and lives a half-hour's flight from his childhood home. A great deal of things he learned from the humans don't apply to his life with other dragons, and at times, he still struggles to fit in. He can tell you more than you want to know about cleaning out hog houses, which is not terribly useful to other dragons but seen as fun trivia. Whenever a youngster in the community gets uppity and requires some inspiration, Tim iv is responsible for taking them to his parents' farm to do farm work and develop a better work ethic. Tim iv's human kin do not mind accommodating and don't even feel threatened by the new visitor, since they trust him to watch over the young dragon. They are also glad they have an extra farmhand to help them.