Ridgewing Dragons live just below the snow level on the upper slopes of mountains. They are a friendly, playful breed and enjoy dancing in wind currents near their homes or plummeting down into valleys from great heights. Their wings, by far their most striking feature, grow in fin-like ridges along their backs. While their bodies lack markings to blend better with their surroundings, a ridgewing’s wings have bright markings in the colors of the flowers that grow in their mountain habitat. Occasionally different-colored individuals can be found, but they are rare because their striking coloring offers little protection.

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.

Gio's Alchemist is like every other Ridgewing Dragon. He loves to do stunts and plunge from thousands of feet, but the strange thing about him can be found in his name: Alchemist. While he does not practice the mythical science of Alchemy himself, he gets his name from the statues he has carved into the rock of his cave that almost seem to spring up overnight. His cave mate Atchion claims that Alchemist has absolutely no carving tools, and that he has never seen Alchemist work on the statues in person. Though the means by which Alchemist's statues appear are questionable, the hatchlings adore Alchemist's statues and often treat them like imaginary friends.