Turpentine Dragons are named for the oil that covers their scales. This oil resembles turpentine in odor and is mildly toxic; it will not kill but it burns to the touch and will cause illness in anyone who ingests it. Turpentine Dragons roam in large packs, often stealing food from larger dragons, though they are able to hunt for themselves if necessary. Many other breeds consider Turpentine Dragons to be pests, so they primarily breed among themselves.

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.

Some of the stories about Riulu, such as that she can crest three mountains and cross two canyons over a single night, are probably exaggerations, but she does have an outstanding endurance despite her small size (small even for a turpentine). However, her claims about seeing auras are true. Her ability to identify emotions of creatures is impressive. Some say she can even tell the emotions of creatures like hagfish and nematode worms that are usually considered to not have emotions. She believes these auras to be caused by the inherent magic of life interacting with the soul-ar plane. When threatened she can manipulate her own aura to create a weaponized sphere which is aligned with the opponent's aura such that it homes towards the target and cannot be dodged.

For some reason, RIUlu has a tendency to sparkle when she comes out of doorways, holes, and the like. Nobody knows what that is about, and she cannot do anything about it.