Balloon Dragons are so named because they are filled with a gas that makes them almost lighter than air, similar to balloons. However, they are not prone to bursting, as they are covered in tough skin and can deflate themselves if necessary. In addition, they generally are slow moving. They use their gas bladders to float to the tops of trees, where food is more abundant. They can shift their weight from their backs to their fronts, allowing them to reach leaves and fruit.

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.

Just like her mother, Jiyuu is a source of great concern for her Cave Mistress, although unlike her mother she never grew out of her trouble making ways. She was given the job of helping to look after the wingless hatchlings in the hopes that some responsibility would make her grow up, but the plan back fired. On her very first day as a nursery attendant she was seen bobbing out of the cave mouth and up towards the open sky with several of the smaller hatchlings clinging cheerfully to her tail.