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.

Joseph is a rather blunt dragon, having never learned to use a verbal filter. Eira, the flock's human caretaker, tries to be understanding but even she has been deeply offended on several occasions. Despite his cold, harsh attitude, however, he would never dream of leaving, and the flock knows this well. He prefers to keep to his own company, though he makes no bones about letting it be known that should Eira, or anyone in his flock, ever find themselves in trouble, they need only come into the water. He also has a very close pair-bond with Vurovesi, a male Red-finned Tidal dragon, and the two have in effect adopted Sen, a tiny Seawyrm female.