Starsinger Dragons are warm-hearted creatures who make their appearance at the start of winter. During the day, these dragons bask in the sun to absorb light into the crystals at their chest and between their horns. They will then perch high on tree tops or ledges at nightfall, where the shine of their crystals serve as a beacon for any weary travelers who have lost their way. However, these dragons are most well-known for the melodic songs they sing through the night, which can echo out for miles around in harmony with other Starsingers. These songs are often immortalized as festive carols and never fail to instill a sense of cheer and camaraderie during the holiday season.

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.

Barnstar's main duties at Tricolor Wells during the holidays are to decorate poles, signs, trees, and other landmarks with streamers, and to tie gifts with string and ribbons when the wrapping part is done. Though she sings while she works, she takes her jobs seriously. Decorations must be even and tidy. An arbitrarily spaced set of streamers or a gift box with a knotty clump just won't do. Because the size of Tricolor Wells expanded greatly the past year, Barnstar won't be able to do both jobs, since there will be too much ground to cover and too many items to handle. She decided she'll stop doing the bow-tying and has begun looking for successors for the task. She keeps two lists to track progress. One contains all the potential recruits who've shown promise in being her replacement. A couple of dragons whose bow-tying skills and attitudes she really likes have names marked with stars. The ones who can't tie ropes and bands into proper bows inevitably end up on the knotty list.