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.

Countess Akaress is one of the young Montagues in the group under the supervision of the Lady Mina and 'the Three', as the Lady Mina's three brothers are called. As a young female of the Montague line, Akaress admires and emulates the Lady Mina in everything... whether it be style or manners or whatever else. She and her 'sister by bond', Sophiria, feel that their Montague blood AND the fact that they are female in a branch of the Montague line where females are dominant, at that, mean that they have precedence over the likes of Cyrwen. The two dragonesses never miss a chance to remind the young male of his place in the family and in the JavaTiger clan as a whole, partly because they feel his ambitions to more power and rank in the family must be kept in line. Don't let their fine manners fool you; these young ladies can be fierce when the situation calls for it, though they WILL defer to elders when they give them a directive... they obey, but it may be with some grumbling.