Ice Dragons are fierce predators who hunt using their extremely cold breath. The breath of an ice dragon can freeze its prey solid in seconds. The body of an ice dragon is so cold that icicles will form along its skin no matter the outside temperature.

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.

Arya Vardaliduen was a dragon that lived in the few snow-capped peaks of the Alagaesian mountain range known as the Spine nearest the city of Kuasta. From time to time, it made a trip from the safety of the mountains down to Leona Lake, and Dras-Leona. It was there that she discovered the unique hatchling that later became known as Roran Domiadraumr. The two gained an instant bond, and Arya was given the surname "Guardian of the Poetic", for the flawless and poetic fashion in which Roran swam through the Leona Lake waters, and much like Roran, was given a name prominent in the Alagaesian history books, an elven princess named Arya. The two are often seen together on the opposite banks of the lake nearest the mountains, a nearly inseparable pair.