Dorsal Dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates.

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.

Mellony Carran—she was a foolish youth, flaunting her blossoming beauty and dazzling fins for all to see.  She was innocent and naive, flirting thoughtlessly with catastrophe—and the Equine dragon, Aherin Shadowless.  Aherin was all too willing to join her playful games, and Mellony far too foolish to foresee the ultimate conclusion.  The pair's courting was quick and, Mellony thought, full of true love.  But Mellony did not know Aherin Shadowless as the others did, and she did not heed the warnings of her companions.  Mellony would not learn the lesson of her foolishness until Aherin would abandon her; betraying Mellony for their own daughter, Ianthe.  And now Mellony, once a free and happy spirit, full of beauty and life, has become a withering flower of days gone by.  She sits alone in the forest, lamenting her foolishness and loathing the traitor sire who left her.