Common Pygmies are sweet in temperament and palate. They spend a fair amount of time foraging for and scavenging food but have a particular fondness for sweet tasting treats, such as honey. When pickings are slim, they can hunt songbirds and small mammals. Common Pygmies stay in large groups, migrating alongside their food supply. Although capable of the same basic vocal sounds of most other dragons, Common Pygmies prefer to communicate through body language. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that Common Pygmy hatchlings are rather affectionate.

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.

Pygmy dragons are the smallest category of dragons, being on the same scale as domesticated animals. They are often found around concentrated populations of dragons, relying on their larger brethren to ward away potential predators and leave scraps. As such, the majority of a pygmy’s diet is scavenged. Due to their tiny size, pygmies do not breed with larger varieties of dragons.

Tetlir grew up in a cave near the edge of the Lake of Elgar with three other female hatchlings.  The human girl named Flight discovered Tetlir's egg after almost stepping on it while she was looking for fruit in the trees. Out of all her sisters, Tetlir admired the Swallowtail, Lillias, and the two are still the best of friends. Often Lillias protected Tetlir from the antics of Nemul, their Pink dragon sister who enjoyed teasing Tetlir the most out of all her other victims. When Tetlir grew wings, Flight brought the young hatchling to the home of Ember Nuria, a friend of Flights who cares for dragons in the tallest Mountain of Elgar. There, Tetlir befriended a Pygmy named Luvena Nuria. Unaware of Lillias' jealousy of her sister's new found friendship, Tetlir found a cave of her own halfway up the mountain. Though she still remains unaware of Lillias' contempt to Luvena, Tetlir remains close to both dragons, often traveling the Mountains of Elgar, visiting her sister and friend.