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.

Dabbandia often participates in sailing races with other water walkers and even humans in their own little sailboats.  As the lake she inhabits is shared by dragons and humans alike, both groups have managed to find a general consensus to leave each other alone, except at special events such as these sailing tournaments.  Dabbandia comes into the story as one of the dragon's representatives in the Lake Rektarum decennial tournament water sports event, specifically playing in the sailing race.  His technique includes widening the shoulders to get more wind, and intentionally cut off the wind to his competitors, therefore staying in the lead.  All this is acceptable in the events, almost seen as proper sportsmanship, and so Dabbandia has taken up that kind of attitude for life in general