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.

Vance is rather dedicated to not having any responsibilities in his Cave. He works very hard to ensure that no one relies on him for anything. He will even go out of his way to pass any job given to him off onto another dragon as quickly as he can so that he doesn't have to complete it. Unfortunately for Vance, the other dragons of the Cave haven't caught on yet that he doesn't actually complete the tasks assigned to him because they keep giving him more to do. And he keeps finding other dragons to do it. Recently, however, Vance has noticed that he is more often tasked with the job of getting other dragons to work than working himself.