Almerald Dragons are an unusual species. They have gem-like protrusions along their spine that brighten and darken depending on their mood. In addition, their body temperature grows warmer during periods of excitement, and cooler during darker moods such as anger or depression; as such, it is fairly easy to read an Almerald’s emotions. Their mood can change quickly at times, going from calm to angry in a matter of seconds. If their anger becomes bad enough they can become a frightening opponent. Adults are not normally high in energy, so they hunt infrequently and prefer to lazily consume large quantities of fruits and nuts.

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.

Handsel is a good and well-liked member of the community. Every day, he is assigned to a job called Guard Duty. During Guard Duty, it's up to him to question people he doesn't know who enter the territory, although he only has to stop humans and dragons, not birds and cats and other stuff that won't answer back. When Handsel stops somebody, he asks them a set of questions, perhaps use reasonable force to prevent them from trespassing, if needed. Beyond that (if he's asked questions in return, for instance), he doesn't know what to do, but that's all right because it's not really part of his job. Every time Handsel reports or brings in an uncooperative stranger to his superiors, everyone tells him he's done a fine job and that he's really good at Guard Duty. His superiors might also give him a cherry, and cherries are his favorite treats. Everyone in the community is his friend, and many of them say very nice things to him.