Gemshard Dragons are small, gregarious, expressive easterns, living in large clans high in the jungle canopy. Their bodies are covered in tiny, gem-like scales that shimmer in direct light, and each dragon has a unique pattern of markings on the forked spade of its tail. Though Gemshard Easterns cannot fly, they often leap from springy branches high into the sky on sunny days and perform acrobatic spins and twirls to entertain themselves. When the weather turns foul, they pile up together on sturdy tree limbs and interlock the forks of their tails with others to keep warm and dry.

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.

Sard Gemshard sells "magic" tonics, which he considers a side-job. They have fancy and exotic names like "Doctor Theodore's Arsenic Medical Wipes", "Maggie's Magnificent Methanol Complexion Wafers", "The Solution to All of Your Digestive Problems—Sard's Rabbit Urine and Saltpeter Beverage". He talks about them at length using confusing terms and such speed that most minds can't follow his thoughts, which makes talk of his tonics more believable. None of them are actually magical, since there's not a hint of spell-casting done on or mana in them, but their promoted effects seem magical indeed.