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.

Lafonda is the eldest of Razz's three mates and without a doubt the sternest. She commands over her 'wives' with extreme irritation, constantly nipping at their fins and bellowing at them if they decide to rest for even a moment too long. When she decides that the lake needs patrolling or maintaining, nobody—not even Razz—is allowed to sit idle for too long without feeling the sharp snap of her jaws.

In her own mind, she does what she does for the good of her Beta mate, and it is true that since she arrived the lake has bloomed and flourished. Fish populations are on the rise, and the water is purer than ever. However, Lafonda does not know how to 'switch off', as there is nothing in the world more important to her than her duties for the greater good of the lake.

While she has little patience for her fellow mates, she changes entirely in the presence of their children, raising them with gentleness and teaching them wisely, despite being hardly able to listen to her own advice.