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.

Kesuk's name was bestowed upon her by a tribe living in the frozen tundra where she was born. "Kesuk" meant both water and sky, seeming appropriate for the dragon. For unknown reasons she had been left on an iceberg floating in the river, but was found by two small children of the tribe. The elders of the tribe feared the egg to be a bad omen but allowed the egg to be raised inside the village. In time, the egg had become a hatchling, and the hatchling became a young dragon. When Kesuk reached this age, the tribe decided it best that she be released. On occasion Kesuk returns to the village, being welcomed with open arms and all the herring she can eat. Now what she wants more than anything, is to find others of her kind.