Monarch Dragons feed on large waterfowl, supplementing with a diet of eggs and fish as needed. Driven by the arrival of cold weather and the need to follow their prey, Monarchs are themselves migratory, leaving the forests in early fall and heading to the warmer climates of deserts and jungles. These migrations are a sight to see, as along the way smaller groups join with one another to form a single large group that can blot out the sunlight as they fly over. Until they reach their destination, they only land for short periods of time to rest. Monarchs spread out across the land at the end of their journey, breaking up once more into their small family groups until the time comes to return to the forest.

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.

The Braid, a collective of dragons dedicated to making the world a better and safer place, got its name from its three interwoven goals of prevention, preservation, and restoration. Tezniv Tigerwing is one of the coordinators for the Braid. He uses his years of experience handling migrations to help him keep track of what teams should go where, so as to provide the maximum coverage for disaster aid and prevention. Tezniv used to be in charge of who got put in what group, but finally turned most of that over to Mender, figuring that a sinomorph's word carried more weight than that of a mere monarch dragon.