Spirit Ward Dragons are a special breed that ward off evil spirits—at least, that’s what the legends say. During nighttime festivals, people love to see these dragons, because they believe that the dragons guard against evil spirits. The dragons are dark-colored, but glow with a flame-colored internal light that has an intensity that they control.

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.

Arvella is employed by humans in a place grimly nicknamed the "death hospital", but she avoids describing it. Said location is a large room with rows of cots, some occupied by humans. This is where the gravely ill are sent when they can't be cured or a cure is unknown, and magic only briefly delays the inevitable. This is where they go to die. The smell is almost unbearable, the chorus of moaning can be deafening, and due to a fear of becoming sick themselves, most of the staff avoid this ward like, one might say, the plague. Arvella, the only draconic staff-person who frequents the death hospital, is not deterred by anything inside. She is immune to the diseases and has a safe-spell in effect in case, but she would be resigned to her fate should she become ill. Her job there is to drag out the corpses of those who die and calm the still-living. Her glow is a comforting sight to many patients, and even those who cannot see can feel her warm aura and become quiet for the night.