Dorsal Dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates.

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.

It is said that when this dragon was but a mere hatchling, an evil sorceress stole him from his parents and kept him as an experiment, testing all sorts of horrific dark magic on him, some of which left scars he still carries to this day. But the worst thing she did to him was to use a spell on his eyes. Bloody red marrow from the dead bones of a dragon whose evil knew no bounds was placed behind the eyes of the baby dorsal, causing him to see everything in a malevolent and violent way. Even today this dragon is consistently avoided by the others, and after trying to kill one of his fellow clan members in an insane rage, he was exiled to the frozen ice lands, beyond his clan's northernmost territory. Some say he is still up there, wandering the frozen peaks, and others say he must be dead by now, but whatever happened, nobody will ever know the fate of the dragon with the bloody marrow eyes.