Thunder Dragons are the masters of electricity. Their wings gather energy as they soar through the clouds, and when they clap their wings together they can create devastating arcs of lightning. They can stay airborne nearly indefinitely, landing only to sleep and breed; they catch their prey from the air and take moisture from the clouds. A thunder dragon’s roar is considered to be an omen of misfortune.

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.

Barotrauma was not a sociable hatchling and spent the first few decades of life in solitude, only interacting with other dragons when mating season came. Feeling that this wasn't very good for him, he moved to a territory known for its friendly motley dragon clan. He was readily welcomed, and he decided from then on that he would interact "normally". Not only that; he would always find a new compliment for whomever he spoke with. At first, it was hard for Barotrauma to do any amount of socializing, though compliments came easily. Nowadays, with a better attitude compared to his old solitary self, speaking with others comes easily, though compliments to those he interacts with most often are very odd, like "Your lower incisors are athletic", "I envy your sunfish nostrils", and "Your irises are looking cottony today". Fortunately, the clan knows that Barotrauma regularly says stuff like these, and everyone finds them rather humorous.