Magi Dragons are, as their name suggests, primarily magic users. They rarely use physical forms of attack. They eat anything they can kill, which is almost everything. They won’t kill unprovoked except when hunting, although they may kill humans if in danger. Their strong magic makes them one of the most feared breeds of dragons.

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.

Srivek changes names the way most humans change clothes and for good reason. Even with his best efforts at disguise via magically created scars and the like, he's still in serious danger of having his past catch up with him. Srivek tells himself that each new weyr will be a fresh start—that this will be the time he reforms for good—but even he doesn't believe his own lies anymore. Within a few days, he's back to his old habits. Srivek cheats, lies, steals, causes mayhem, and delights in finding some helpless victim to torment, so it's hard to feel too sorry for him.