Albino Dragons are so named because their translucent, scale-less skin lacks all pigment. Instead, to help protect their bodies from the sun, they are coated in an oily secretion that blocks the sun’s harmful rays. The call of an albino dragon is similar to a barn owl--a shriek instead of a roar.

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.

Most Brightscale Weyr dragons have some degree of mystery about them, since the weyr is largely inhabited by tricksters, renegades, and scoundrels, all with parts of their past they'd rather keep hidden, but Birdie Pearlscale has somewhat more than most.  Despite being of a breed not known for socializing with humans, she can do a perfect imitation of a carnival fortune-teller.  She even has a crystal ball and cards, though the latter are card-shaped decorated rocks, as these are easier to manipulate with claws.  Birdie is something of an oddity at Brightscale Weyr, as she will gleefully admit she's making everything up and even gets disappointed when visitors take her fortunes too seriously.  Fortune-telling is a game for her, and she's perfectly willing to let her customers in on the fun.