Balloon Dragons are so named because they are filled with a gas that makes them almost lighter than air, similar to balloons. However, they are not prone to bursting, as they are covered in tough skin and can deflate themselves if necessary. In addition, they generally are slow moving. They use their gas bladders to float to the tops of trees, where food is more abundant. They can shift their weight from their backs to their fronts, allowing them to reach leaves and fruit.

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.

Suimin Bogai, meaning "Hinder Sleep", is a bit of an insomniac and often wanders around town speaking to whomever will listen to his drones. He usually doesn't have much of anything interesting to talk about, though he somehow has the luck of witnessing a lot of very interesting things. Oddly though he never talks about those things, and when he does get the chance to sleep, the local children often bounce on him.