Seasonal Dragons take on the characteristics of the season during which they are born. Thus, eggs that are laid in spring match the pink flowers and green buds of spring, and those that are laid in the summer grow to depict the bright green of the forest trees and the yellow of the sun. Eggs laid in autumn display the bright colors of leaves falling from trees, and those that are laid during winter take on the appearance of the icy snow.

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.

Oad lives in a "clan" of unrelated but nevertheless family-like group of mixed breeds—there has never been more than three of the same breed in the group at once. His official job is "Peacekeeper", but problems either are few or are sorted out without help. He's more of a "psyche helper", as he calls it. He is one of the handful of dragons that others come to with their woes. Among the long-term visitors are those who fled from disaster, fought in a war, or were victims of abuse. It's important that even those who see him on a regular basis also know that there are other psyche helpers available when he's absent. He conks out for the entire winter, and he doesn't want anyone to miss him or badly need him for something during that four-month period.