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.

Long ago, during a particularly devastating drought, three sisters made a deal with a Gray Dragon at the mountain's peak. He provided the rain that made their rivers run, but for some reason he stopped doing so without warning. He agreed to continue making rain, so long as the sisters served him when he called upon them. This was fine until his requests turned violent. The sisters refused and the Gray Dragon revoked his gift.

Anivia became furious. While her sister sought for the knowledge to remedy the problem, she sought revenge. She traveled to the mountain's peak again, seeking battle with the Gray Dragon. Instead, she was met by an Ice Dragon who, upon hearing her story, offered to teach her how to control the element of ice.

For many days, Anivia returned to the peak and struggled to learn from the Ice Dragon. Though she never fully mastered the magic that was being taught to her, she learned that through strong emotion, she could chill the air and all that she touched.