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.

Fatma is one of the draconic members of a little group hired by some enterprising humans of Angeln Land, a territory dragons don't normally touch. She was hired to pick up foreign humans and put them into servitude in the Angeln military. They have a word for this little stunt, but she doesn't remember what it is. She's a naturally fast swimmer who can twirl through the water like a skywing in the air, and this skill she uses to her advantage in her quest for fish and shinies, her compensation for her work. While on the job, Fatma leaps mightily onto a boat or spit of land, grabs the closest man, and returns to the water—she can hop on, grab, and hop off in seconds. She doesn't like the taste of human, so the faster she drops the target to her waiting employers, the better, and they pay more when he isn't badly hurt. The unfortunate is forced to work in Angeln Land's navy. Beyond that, Fatma doesn't know her victims' fates, and she doesn't care as long as she gets her payment.