Black Dragons are warriors. They are strong and capable in battles of force, but also ample magic users, capable of devastating opponents with their spells. Their bright eyes give them excellent night vision, which is why they generally hunt during the night.

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.

Of all the dragons who lost loved ones in the Great War, perhaps no other dragons lost family in the number that Starseer and her mate, Hallownight, did. They used to take in all the abandoned Black hatchlings found by Feathers, the human keeper of the old Featherwing Weyr. They led a happy life...and then the Great War broke out. Starseer automatically went to aid Nightburner, the Weyr leader, though it was a fight of few against many. She did not know that her mate had also joined her, leaving their hatchlings alone near the battle zone. When it became clear that her side was the losing one, she found her mate and they quickly decided to flee with Nightburner into exile rather than risk execution by King Yule. When they returned to their cave, they found only two of their dozen hatchlings still alive, hiding under the corpses of their siblings. They'd been missed in Songsinger's evacuation.

These days, Starseer never lets her babies out of her sight, eternally in mourning.