Guardian Dragons have large shields on the end of their tails. Although the shields appear to be heavy, they are light, yet nearly unbreakable. Guardian Dragons use their tail-shields, as well as their wings, to deflect attacks and protect others. Often, they will guard the eggs and hatchlings of a nest while others are away. They are generally peaceful, and will not retaliate unless necessary. They have no need to forage or hunt, as they are fed by those they protect.

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 Shield of Tyr roams alone in the rose quartz forests of Harandra, where there was once life and birdsong, before the air was dispelled by the Fallen Angel of Thulcandra. He is rarely seen by the inhabitants in the land of Malacandra, except for the Oyarsa who rules there, and once, by a strange mortal named Srenaeb who flew from the heavens in a metallic ship with no wings. The Shield of Tyr treasures these few meetings in his heart, content never to seek these companions out again because as the poets say, a pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered. This dragon will guard Tyr's serene beauty until the end of that world, and the beginning of the next. The name 'Shield of Tyr' is alluded by the Hrossa poets as the 'gilded child', 'wild as Sun's blood, yet mild as Stars' milk'.