Shallow Water Dragons are found in tropical regions where the water is warm. They use their magic to hunt, using bubbles to capture small fish and animals. Their large, webbed feet make them excellent swimmers and they are able to move at very high speeds. Due to their bright color, these dragons are easily spotted in the lagoons where they live.

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.

In order to impress the coast-dwelling humans and have them feel that not all dragons look down on them, Guldfisk decided to learn to read and write in one of their languages. He swam to a part of the world a little farther north where a different group of people lived, and for many years, he studied under them. They thought it was a little odd for a shallow water dragon to want to spend part of his time playing with the kids and the other half learning the nuances of their language, but they were happy to teach him. They even called him "Guldfisk", which simply means "goldfish", quite straightforward a moniker. Unfortunately, Guldfisk returned to his home only to find that that the local humans couldn't understand him, and when shown a book, he could only recognize the characters but not the words.