Magi Dragons are, as their name suggests, primarily magic users. They rarely use physical forms of attack. They eat anything they can kill, which is almost everything. They won’t kill unprovoked except when hunting, although they may kill humans if in danger. Their strong magic makes them one of the most feared breeds of dragons.

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.

Archaius was the first Magi to be hatched into the Cloudtouched Thicket, and was subsequently allowed to choose his breed's family name. Unlike most freshly grown dragons, however, Archaius was quite insightful and had his goals in life carefully planned out. One of these goals was to establish a talented order of Magi dragons with the sole purpose of researching, teaching, and mastering various forms of magic. He named this order the Circle. Each dragon that was initiated into the Circle would be given a title based upon their area of magical expertise.

Archaius took the title of the Shifter due to his innate talent with his breed's ancestral magic: the teleportation of objects or dragons from one location to another. Nowadays, he mainly uses this magic to help aquatic dragons who have grown up in the Thicket's small pond make their way to the Crystal Waters. He strives to help hatchlings awaken their magical power, and resides within the Circle's clearing, which borders the Thicket.