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.

Gimme Three Steps gets in trouble quite a lot, usually by accident. He doesn't realize things are frowned upon in the area or someone's already taken or whatever, but nevertheless, he's in hot water, and someone possibly wants to kill him. The other day, he hung out with a lunar herald named Linda who failed to inform him that she's already romantically involved with somebody else. They didn't do anything more than dance, but her mate appeared on the scene, staff in hand, ready to shoot the "fellow with his head colored yellow". All the turpentine dragon could do to avoid being hit by a lethal burst was ask for a head start, then flee screaming when the other dragon took his attention to Linda Lunar for a moment. In bad situations, Gimme Three Steps just grumbles about his luck, although in that particular event, he wrote a song about it.