Olive Dragons are a small, forest-dwelling breed, rarely growing much larger than the average sheep. When alarmed, they can erect a long row of venomous spines on their back, serving to warn any potential predators that Olives are not a good choice for a meal. While not strong enough to kill anything larger than a small deer, their venom causes an extremely painful reaction and necrosis at the bite site, sometimes causing the flesh to rot and limbs to fall off.

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.

Despite being born in the jungle home of Ficus Bough's clan, Nettle Spine left the moment she reached maturity because she felt cheated by her lot in life. Nettle Spine often longs for a companion; a male dragon who will be a friend, confidant and mate. But because of the nature of her species, Nettle Spine believes that this dream is impossible, and fears that her poisonous spines will emerge at the wrong moment, and she'd end up hurting anyone she gets close to. Thus, Nettle Spine decided to impose exile on herself and wound up living alone in the desert. Little did she know, the den she chose as her own was not that far from the home of Toxic Jab, a Turpentine dragon who also felt that he was doomed to be alone due to the nature of his species.