Skywing Dragons spend most of their lives flying in the air. They hunt from the air, diving at prey from above, and land only to rest. They are some of the fastest fliers, capable of extremely high speeds. The webbing at the end of the tail acts as a rudder, allowing them to easily change direction during flight.

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.

Even the expert research magi Mathcat Inktalon can't manage to be everywhere at once, so she's recruited a number of assistants over the years to help her with her work. Mathcat's Messenger can always be relied on for the overall picture, even if her reports lack the individual detail that other assistants are better able to gather. She's especially good at long-term reports, willing to return to a place of interest every few months for years if needed to gather all the necessary data.