When Water Dragons mature, they lose the ability to survive on land, entering the water permanently. They are adept swimmers and eat whatever fish are in the lake they live in. They tend to inhabit the same lake for their entire lives, although a few live in the ocean and swim all over the world.

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.

Davaal lives near his clan's cave in a large mountain spring. The other dragons go there to play in the water and drink, so the spring is very important to the clan. Davaal's job is to keep any dangerous predators away from the lake, so that the hatchlings can safely go there whenever they want. Davaal doesn't particularly care for the hatchlings, but he tolerates them because he understands that he's only allowed to stay in the spring as long as he's useful to the clan. He is happy to live by himself, quietly basking in the sun in the shallow part of the spring, or diving into the deep parts below to find fish.