Ember Dragons have a great affinity for hot environments. While they themselves are not hot to the touch, their tendency to lurk amongst smoldering ashes has caused many to believe they are fire-starters. Their dully glowing markings serve many purposes: acting as a means of identification between individuals, as an important part of mating displays, and as a way of showing aggression. The long, low build of the breed makes them ungainly in flight, and the thick fleshy membranes of their wings hinder them further. As such, it is rare to see an Ember Dragon take to the air. Ember Dragons are also not particularly sociable; females tend to be defensive, whereas males are more aggressive. Once they have settled with a particular group of dragons, Ember Dragons are incredibly loyal and will defend their pack by any means possible.

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.

Poeth sees life as a battle, as that's what it has always been for her. As an egg, she was abandoned on a mountain ledge, forcing her to claw her own way out of her shell, then to face a dangerous choice, starve to death on the ledge, or jump off, risking being eaten by the wolves she could hear howling below. Taking the leap, she plunged downwards, landing squarely on her back, right in the path of a hungry wolf. Knowing she couldn't beat it in a fight, Poeth ran, but the wolf chased, gaining steadily on the weak young hatchling, and she ended up cornered, spitting fire in a last attempt to scare the predator away. Luckily for her, she was then found by a hunting party from the clans, who scared off the wolf, and invited her to join, which she gratefully accepted. Due to her fall, her wings didn't form properly, and she can barely stretch them, let alone use them to fly; however she does not let this stop her from helping to protect the cave where the clans live.