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.

Janbek is oddly passionless for a vampire, his actions being governed instead by reason and logic.  To keep himself fed, he finds a weyr in need of a hunter, and then brings them meat in exchange for a small share of each kill, leaving when his aid is no longer required.  When Janbek bites an egg, he does so only after careful consideration leads him to the conclusion that the egg would otherwise die, and he leaves successfully turned eggs at some place he has carefully determined to be suitable.  Janbek has no strong attachments to other dragons; he has no particular friends or enemies, since he simply avoids in future anyone who was unkind or cruel to him.  As a result, despite his oddities, Janbek is one of the safest vampires to associate with—he doesn't try to snack on the local dragon population and he won't take eggs from the community nursery to turn.