Guardian Dragons have large shields on the end of their tails. Although the shields appear to be heavy, they are light, yet nearly unbreakable. Guardian Dragons use their tail-shields, as well as their wings, to deflect attacks and protect others. Often, they will guard the eggs and hatchlings of a nest while others are away. They are generally peaceful, and will not retaliate unless necessary. They have no need to forage or hunt, as they are fed by those they protect.

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.

Garval is a Defense Dragon, second in command to Deiandrana. It is his duty, for now, to guard the eggs and hatchlings, making sure that the eggs are turned and that the hatchlings are not straying from their boundaries. He plans the hatchlings' forays into the outside,taking care to steer their trip away from any "unecessary exitement", as he likes to put it. Of course this leads to a few hatchlings attempting to wander away to check out a path left off the map shown them. That, of course, is for good reason. Once, a hatchling wandered off to check out a trail and ran into a local family of badgers. It would have been no contest with an adult dragon, but with a hatchling, they would have returned to Remiko the White with more than a few cuts and scrapes to be patched up. Ever since then, he has tried to make sure that no hatchling ever goes unaccounted for, and takes a count of them several times a day, to the annoyance of some.