Pyralspite dragons are small, swift dragons that can breathe an intensely hot flame. They get their name from their resemblance to and affinity for garnets of the pyralspite family—they hoard such gems, preferring garnets that match their variant, and can tell the type of garnet from how it tastes. The orange variant is called Spessartine. These Pyralspites are more fun-loving and mellow than others, and are optimistic as a whole. Their preferred habitat is coastal areas.

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.

Countinghouse hatched in a garden area next to the Jovian Counting House. There were a lot of rules regarding how animals born and raised in the community gardens may be named, and "Countinghouse", while being a tad uncreative, fit the parameters. Her best friends growing up were two humans who were also born in the garden, called Spaghetti-Plot and Acorn-Plot. They both became workers in the Counting House as adults. Countinghouse was initially excited to be named such, since the Counting House sounded like a place where there are piles of money and people get to count them, but she learned from Spaghetti-Plot and Acorn-Plot that it really wasn't that exciting or easy. Their graves are now in the corner of the garden. Their children and friends occasionally visit to lay oranges, and after a few days, Countinghouse sweeps out the rinds.