The amphibious Aranoas inhabit shallow brackish estuaries, rivers and lagoons. Being adept swimmers, they possess tough, vibrant scales that serve to protect the dragon from superficial physical harm, and double as a means to attract mates. Their large, cavernous maws are adapted to swallowing fish whole, and they have powerful limbs to propel them through the water. When mating, males and females will typically vie for the interest of the individual with the brightest scales and the largest dorsal fin. Due to this attraction, they are also prone to collecting shiny and colorful objects that they come across. With a diet primarily comprised of large freshwater or pelagic fish, they often hunt in groups to encircle schools of fish, making for an easier meal. While not very social, Aranoas will often inhabit areas in close proximity to each other should they require assistance in hunting, or to band together to ward off other species who pose a threat to their territory.

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.

The Aquilothal River wends through the air over wooded hills, eventually crashing into a hillside and cascading up as a rising falls into a lake high in the stratosphere. There are very few places to make a home in the river, but 1F1ew has secured a small cavern in a pile of rocky rapids affixed to the aerial waterway, where he can rest without worrying about falling through the bottom of the river and into the trees below. There is one tree directly below his weyr where birds nest every year. The tree also attracts many brood parasites who sneak their eggs into unsuspecting nests. 1F1ew doesn't like to see the avian hatchlings force their nestmates out and lord over the parent birds, but there's no way he can get down to the forest and back safely in order to do anything about it. He really likes his home, except for that one detail, so he has resigned himself to living over the cuckoo's nest.