Blue-Banded Dragons are found primarily in mountainous regions with lots of precipitation. Although terrestrial, they are most often sighted near running water and feed mostly on fish. Females are very social and form tight-knit family groups, while males are strictly solitary and will fight any other dragons that enter their territory outside of breeding season. For this reason, females tend to drive males away when they are not ready to mate, or when they are caring for hatchlings. The amount of striping varies greatly from individual to individual, with some dragons having only faint dark streaks on their sides and others appearing to be almost entirely dark blue with paler markings.

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.

O'Grady lives in Den Unit 4254 in Piquia, an island territory with good relations with all its neighboring lands, except the giant across the strait, Hillstill. Piquia is officially known as Quia (to Reclaim) to Hillstill, who is keen on getting the land back since Piquia (figuratively) broke away 90 years ago. Despite the looming threat, Piquia is a peaceful place, where inhabitants largely go about their lives and individual worries. The island is a natural fortress with its mountains, and its two beaches suitable for landing boats or swimmers are heavily fortified. At least a hundred Piquians scattered around island bases survey the skies at any given time. Among them is O'Grady, a Groundbound Skywatcher assigned to one of the rainiest regions, and he's comfortable at his post and doesn't mind the humidity. He gets lightly ribbed by some of his peers for spending his breaks fishing alone, but they greatly appreciate that he's happy to share his catches.