Seasonal Dragons take on the characteristics of the season during which they are born. Thus, eggs that are laid in spring match the pink flowers and green buds of spring, and those that are laid in the summer grow to depict the bright green of the forest trees and the yellow of the sun. Eggs laid in autumn display the bright colors of leaves falling from trees, and those that are laid during winter take on the appearance of the icy snow.

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.

Besk is one of the temporary guards to M. Tan, who is a family member of L. Tan, the author of the Civil Servant Andrade series. Writing the last novel on his deathbed, he decided to finish off the series with an apocalypse so no one could write any sequels after his death. This made many people upset -- so upset that some of them went after his family and old friends with demands and threats. As far as Besk knows, M. Tan is the only member of the family who's also an author, but she writes heroic satires and travel essays and isn't interested in reviving Civil Servant Andrade, nor does she want to go against her father's wishes to end it. She had meant for her guards to be temporary, until "this silly thing blows over", but it has not yet blown over. Besk has the sunrise-to-midday shift. He may look like a rather scrawny Seasonal Dragon, but he's a fast thinker and casts time-element spells with ease, which he uses to keep himself and his client out of danger.