Feisty and energetic, Whiptail Dragons pride themselves on their speed and agility. It is not unusual to see several whiptails racing each other. Though fragile, they can easily evade attacks with their superior speed, and often use their long tails as a weapon, giving rise to their name.

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.

The oft-rebellious son of Zaratha (the leader of Riversong's Clan) and her mate Zarathan, Zarathax was something of a "problem hatchling" when he was younger. His parents, although as kind and loving as any young dragon could ask for, tended to hold him to a high set of standards—standards that Zarathax simply didn't want to try to meet. He was something of a terror as an adolescent, and many in the Clan were secretly relieved when he decided to venture out into the world on his own. What they weren't expecting was that he would return not only with a good deal more maturity, but also with a mate of his own: Atrylla. Although many have asked, Zarathax refuses to speak of what he went though outside the Clan's borders; some suspect that he may have had some sense beaten into him, while others think that Riversong herself may have intervened. Either way, it seems that he and Atrylla are the only ones who will ever know what actually happened.