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.

Glyffe spends a lot of time surfing the air currents in the caves with Cafei, and once caught a current that shot him straight out and into the sky. He didn't come down for more than a week, and many of the dragons in the valley thought he had been taken by the lagmonster that had been recently sighted.

Happily he is back now, and rather annoyed that his scroll photograph was taken just at the moment he realised he was going too high.