Bleeding Moon Dragons are mostly nocturnal creatures. When outside in the sun, the small red spatters on their back grow and spread, making the dragons appear to “bleed.” It is said that the darker the shade of red, the more aggressive the dragon. Their tail barbs contain a powerful neuro-toxin which they use to subdue their prey. They are solitary creatures except when mating, preferring to dwell in the caves in mountains or other high places. Their large wingspan makes them fast flyers as well as fast runners, but they prefer to glide instead. Males are very competitive and will try almost everything to impress females, who will choose their mates based on speed and performance. Juveniles tend to form bachelor groups once fledged.

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.

The sound of wings beating could faintly be heard over the pounding rain. Dawn approached, but the sky was still dark as the dragon flew. She swooped wearily towards an opening in the cliffside, her red spots dull in the gloom. She landed in the dark cave with a sigh of relief.

The dragoness looked around the cave and began to step forward, but stopped when she saw an odd object near the back of the cave. Crouching, she stalked towards the thing with a hiss in her throat. Soon she came close enough to see that it was a large stone, with a weathered scroll sitting on top. Her snarl grew louder when it began to glow ominously. She waited, but it did nothing.

Snarling, she swiped a powerful paw at it, but her claws bounced right off. She turned away from the scroll with a huff, and found a place to sleep. As the night turned to day and she drifted off, delicate writing began to appear on the piece of parchment. She would be the first to find this scroll, but she would not be the last.