Vampire Dragons are members of the undead. They sustain themselves by drinking the blood of others. It is said that they are only “alive” at night, and seem dead or asleep during the day, as they cannot endure sunlight for long periods of time. Vampire Dragons can only reproduce by changing the eggs of other dragons, puncturing the shell with their fangs and injecting venom that kills the baby inside.

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.

Rather than run the risk of one of their own eggs being bitten, the flight will often sacrifice an abandoned egg or two to the mercies of the vampires in order to keep their hungry fangs at bay. It was this custom that became the tragic fate of a storm dragon egg found in a nearby cave, bitten by the mad Gloire Dans Mort and forgotten about by the rest of the flight. When the resulting hatchling emerged, she found herself in a world inexplicably hostile to her and without any sort of protection except that of the other vampires. It is unsurprising, then, that she became extremely attached to Gloire, becoming his friend and confidante despite the vampire dragon's gleeful insanity. Though now more than capable of fending for herself, Shakazu remains devoted to Gloire as one of the few creatures in her life to show her something other than fear and hostility.