Yellow-Crowned Dragons are found in the hottest, driest regions of the desert. Although they thrive in these conditions, they do very poorly in cold or humid climates. These dragons are very fast fliers and skilled hunters, and usually feed on small, quick desert antelope. Yellow-Crowned Dragons are diurnal, and spend the night in underground burrows they dig or steal from other creatures. They are often seen out sunning themselves in the early morning sun, waiting for the heat of the day to set in.

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.

Brightburner, along with her mate Shimmerwarm, came to the Weyr of Flame relatively recently after the Great War had ended. Brightburner busied herself with becoming one of the Weyr's many herb gatherers, rising just in time to fly in the warm sunrise to the very borders of the Weyr's territory for healing herbs and special plants. She got to know Shimmercrown, the documenter of dragons past, a bit through her mate, and when Shimmerwarm asked, very gingerly, if Brightburner might be receptive to bringing Shimmercrown into their family as their second mate, she insisted on getting to know him first, planning to test him. She asked him to join her for a walk around the edge of the Weyr territory to get to know him, and she offered him a gift. He could choose one of two herbs, a flashy flower or a subtle weed. His response was to ask which kind Shimmerwarm liked better.

Loving her new mate on behalf of her first, Brightburner loves her oddly but satisfyingly made little family.