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.

Prize dragons are generally viewed as being regal, dignified creatures, prone to strutting about and showing off their scales as they lounge around nobleman's courtyards. This female, however, is different. Fond of heat and darkness, she spends most of the daylight hours dozing, then departs at nightfall to join the pack of ember dragons clustering around the local volcano. They appear to have accepted her as one of their own, and the locals speculate that she might have been fathered by one of the clan.