Water Walkers are small dragons that are frequently found around bogs and ponds. While they are flightless, they retain the flight sacs and hollow bones of their airborne cousins. These traits, coupled with their extraordinarily long, webbed toes, allow them to stand on top of calm waters, using their small sails to propel them wherever they please. They spend the majority of their lives on the water, retreating to the tops of lily pads when the waters become too rough to float atop.

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.

Achilles is a strange blend of his parents. His mother, Einhorn, is a regal, highly intelligent Amalthean, while his father, Stretch, is an unintelligent dope. Achilles generally comes off similar to his mother. He's quiet, tends to hold himself in a proud, regal way, and gives off a distinct aura of mystery. But then you realize he only does this to cover his complete social ineptitude. Achilles is an awkward mess when it comes to interacting with others. He can't talk straight, has no sense of boundaries, and gets very easily overwhelmed. He'll even start stuttering if he becomes nervous enough. Of course, like his father, Einhorn loves him because he has these flaws and she encourages him to keep trying and improve himself. He is often perplexed by such advise, usually because it comes right after great failure, but he still trusts his mother enough to live by it. As awkward as he is, Achilles is not a quitter. He believes, one day, he can be just as confident as his parents.