Seasonal Dragons take on the characteristics of the season during which they are born. Thus, eggs that are laid in spring match the pink flowers and green buds of spring, and those that are laid in the summer grow to depict the bright green of the forest trees and the yellow of the sun. Eggs laid in autumn display the bright colors of leaves falling from trees, and those that are laid during winter take on the appearance of the icy snow.

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.

Gwydr is a frigid Ice Dragon. He is the son of Summers' Bride and Gar'diado. Gar'diado is never around, he's off being leader of the Caverns. Summers' Bride had too many things to take care of to be a truly good mother--her scales, her wings, her crest, and the reflection she had seen in the mirror of the dragon bathroom. Also, she was disappointed--she had been hoping for a warm young summer, or a strapping young guardian like her husband, or a loving, talkative Bluna, even...but no, she got a freezing, quiet Winter Dragon. Bride left him alone for long stretches of time, out with the other girls, and Gwydr learned not to trust anyone and work with only himself. His mother can be blamed for that.