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.

Kiyo lives in the mighty Avadergo river. She claims the region from a few miles up the river to the shallow seas at the river's mouth. Kiyo has never had any interaction with another dragon after her parents raised her and has been content with her solitary existence thus far. Recently Kiyo has observed a group of dwarves building a vast stone bridge over the Avadergo. She has become enthralled by the workings and actions of these strange humanoids. These bustling strangers have inspired a greater curiosity in Kiyo to learn about the outside world. When one of the dwarves named Thoradin Magnisson fell in the Avadergo and was about to be pulled under by its powerful current Kiyo intervened and discreetly returned him to the shore by pushing him along with her tail without showing herself. While Thoradin claims that there is a benevolent powerful being living in the waters the other dwarves scoff at him, saying he is just rattled from the fall.