Shimmer-scale Dragons are a very beautiful breed with small—but highly reflective—scales that shimmer and shine as the dragon moves through water. They don’t have fins or webbed feet, but their long, eel-like bodies allow them to swim quite fast. They were once rumored to carry large pearls in their claws—causing many to seek them out in search of this fabulous treasure. In reality, the “pearl” is of greater value to the dragon, for the fabled treasure is actually an egg carried by a migrating female.

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.

When Comettail Whiskers foresaw that a time might come when Elemental Trinity, the supreme guardian of Element Mountain, would need three 'heirs,' there was question over who would be the mother of the 'heir' representing the Element of Creation. Christmas Starwing, the dragon who served as courier between Shield Tail and Dark Drakon's herd and Ficus Bough's clan, was even appointed to search for a worthy candidate. Eventually, Taiyang-Xilang suggested his distant cousin, Riparian Pearl, a particularly beautiful Shimmerscale with a unique talent of creating elaborate sculptures and carvings from jade, pearls and other precious stones using only magically-controlled water as a cutting tool. At first, Riparian Pearl was hesitant about accepting the responsibility of being the mother of one of Elemental Trinity's heirs. However, upon arriving at Element Mountain, she became good friends with Deinony, despite them being polar opposites. Because of that friendship, she accepted the role.