Almerald Dragons are an unusual species. They have gem-like protrusions along their spine that brighten and darken depending on their mood. In addition, their body temperature grows warmer during periods of excitement, and cooler during darker moods such as anger or depression; as such, it is fairly easy to read an Almerald’s emotions. Their mood can change quickly at times, going from calm to angry in a matter of seconds. If their anger becomes bad enough they can become a frightening opponent. Adults are not normally high in energy, so they hunt infrequently and prefer to lazily consume large quantities of fruits and nuts.

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.

Gemthink lives in an almost-town called Sundry, where his clan moved when he was a hatchling. It's an almost-town because there are a few missing things that don't qualify Sundry as a town in the legal sense. In the clan, when hatchlings come out of their eggs, they are named after something that's right nearby: perhaps a visible landmark, a trait of whoever's watching the egg, or an activity a few meters away. The baby itself is not considered; the reasoning is that because it takes time to determine personality and people can't just wait until you're an adolescent or older to name you, there is no sense in picking a name that suits you. Like everyone, Gemthink was named in the clan way: when he broke out of his egg, his father was deep in thought while looking at a gem (jacobsite from a scholar's collection), so he became Gemthink. Quite straightforward a name. Gemthink isn't shy about admitting that he himself isn't a very thinking dragon. He's never the smartest one in a group.