Swallowtail Dragons are graceful and quick flyers, much like their namesake bird. They are capable of precise aerial acrobatics, and can reach very high altitudes. Because of this, humans observing these dragons are often astonished at how large they are when confronted up close. A Swallowtail’s diet consists of insects and small mammals plentiful in temperate forests. These dragons are also made remarkable by their paper-thin wing membranes, which allow light to pass through, creating an astonishing effect on starry nights.

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.

Swift Swallowflight had the misfortune to be hatched just when his parents' plays were reaching the height of their popularity. As a result, he spent most of his hatchlinghood being mobbed by curiosity-seekers who evaluated his every move in terms of his potential theatrical career. With no interest whatsoever in joining any theater, be it Roaring Lion Productions, Future Era Productions, the Skylark Players, or the best efforts of a small community theater with more ambition than dragonpower, he spent years getting as far away from home as possible. It probably isn't true, as rumor would have it, that he took as his mate the first dragon he met who had never even heard of Roaring Lion Productions, but it makes a good story.