Vampire Dragons are members of the undead. They sustain themselves by drinking the blood of others. It is said that they are only “alive” at night, and seem dead or asleep during the day, as they cannot endure sunlight for long periods of time. Vampire Dragons can only reproduce by changing the eggs of other dragons, puncturing the shell with their fangs and injecting venom that kills the baby inside.

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.

When the Overmistress returns to the world it chooses a Dragon of a certain worth, rips out their heart, and devours it. This Dragon miraculously survives, thus becoming known as "Arisen". Those chosen by the Overmistress embark on a journey to seek it out for reasons unknown. The Arisen is said to be the only one that can slay the Overmistress and with that, the Arisen will be given choices that will shape the world.

the Overmistress and the Arisen are connected through the scar on his or her chest and can communicate with one another through it. An Arisen does not age and has an immunity to sickness, but can die in battle. The vitality of the Arisen is linked to their heart being kept by the Overmistress; So long as the Overmistress lives, the Arisen cannot die, save for in battle. Subsequently, when the Overmistress dies, all Arisen who have not reclaimed their heart will age the amount of time that their heart was kept by it. This leads to age catching up to them, or death.