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.

Time and time again, Emperor Cantos gives thanks for the kind and beautiful mate he has found.  When her egg was finally brought to his Court for care and protection, he feared for its health, and watched over it night and day, religiously administering a carefully regulated quantity of views until he felt certain she was no longer in danger of falling ill.  When she hatched safely, he began to worry whether she would gender female; when she gendered, he worried that she might not agree to be his.  Now that he is secure in the knowledge that she loves him in return, he has a new worry: offspring of his own.  Empress Amantine masks her amusement in the face of his earnest concerns, and continually reminds him that he raised her safely, and with her help, he could surely do the same for their young.  Still, he examines each of his eggs for signs of soft-shell every hour on the hour until they hatch.