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.

Alkali Turpentine was picked up as an egg left behind on the journey when the turpentine dragons migrated to the area. Born a loner, she spent her hatchling years training in the art of flight, leaving her a skillful flyer, and a fitting rival for even a skywing dragon, and seemed set to become a Scout Flyer for the Clan, but fate was not to let that happen. A week before she matured, she met and fell in love with a fellow turpentine dragon, named Acid, an amateur undead scientist, who showed her his work. She immediately felt a sense of power and control over the dragons she experimented on, changing to become a scientist. Alkali rarely shows any emotion, with a hard and cold personality that barely changed upon the birth of her daughter, which lead to her being nicknamed the Iron Dragon.