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.

Shyvana refused to watch the hatchlings suffer of thirst and hunger. Her kindness and concern extended to the other dragon breeds that shared the land with her kind as well. While her sisters sought revenge and knowledge, she sought for a way to mend the wounds the drought had inflicted.

She learned to hunt all sorts of prey so that she could bring food to the hungry, and to fight with an unrivaled ferocity so that she could control the fights that broke out over resources. Even once the threat had passed, Shyvana remained the fierce protector of the mountain.