Gerel is a very quiet Kingdom, prefering not to be the first kingdom one thinks about for any reason. They pride themselves on being "also there" in any battle, never having been the agressor in any conflict. There is a saying, "Oh, didn't see you there. You must be from Gerel." Gereleans find it very funny.
Gerel is very complicated geographically. To it's south, it's very warm and arrid. To the north, it has forests full of trees the size of watch towers. The middle area, however, is perfect for vinyards, and Gerel has some of the best wine in the Five Kingdoms.
Dunmore was, until very recently, the largest city in the world. Supporting just under a million people, it is a testiment to Gnomish inginuity, sporting indoor plumbing, pneumatic delivery of small packages, and the world's first moving sidewalk.
Gerel has taken pains to never be at the forefront of making history. The Gnomes have always prefered to sit back and watch, and that philosophy has made it's way into government policy.
Because it's been so neutral, Gerel is a popular home for people who want to start over, or not be found. It's very easy to disapear there, and a whole cottage-industry for that exact purpose has sprung up.
Every five years, the people of Gerel all vote to either keep the current King, or hold a Conference. The rules of a Conference are simple: if you are able to get more than 1000 people to back you, then you can participate. (The current Ruler is not exempt.) The Conference is basically a long, country-wide tour where each participant makes speaches, and tries to win over the populace. At the end, every Gerel citizen picks their top favorite candidates, in order. The top three are then voted on, with the top pick getting 3 votes, the middle two, and the least one. The person with the most votes is then King or Queen.
Additionally, there is one Law the Ruler cannot change: The Law of Review. If more than 1000 citizens protest a law or action of the current Ruler, the Ruler must comment publically on those concerns. If 5000 citizens are not convinced, the law will go up for public review, and citizens of Gerel have one month to vote to either keep, or repeal the law. (In the case of an action, whatever the equivalent to reversing it would be.)
Should a Ruler draw the people's ire, the Law of Review allows for the Ruler themselves to be put up for public review. If the people vote to repeal the Ruler, a Conference is immediately called, and the Ruler is barred from participating for a minimum of 5 years. Any member of the conference is allowed to suggest a longer period, and the people may vote on that as well.
The current king, King Throop is the first half-gnomish King Gerel has ever had. He was a very popular public figure before hand, having designed the systems by which the Kelir tunnels work, along with the pneumatic system in Dunmore before he was King.