Grisel sits at the lowest point of the Crags of Geth, occupying the deepest and most sheltered valley in the range. It is the largest of the eight city-states by population, by market volume, and by the height of its opinion of itself—a combination the other seven find alternately irritating and useful.
The brood-father of Grisel holds a title, First Among Goblins of the Crags, that the other city-states have never formally acknowledged or formally rejected. This productive ambiguity suits everyone. Grisel hosts the confederation's major festivals, mediates the louder inter-city-state disputes, and funds maintenance on the shared road network through the inner valleys that no one else volunteers to cover. In exchange, the brood-father's household receives deference that stops just short of authority—an arrangement the current brood-father describes as acceptable pending eventual improvement.
The city's name predating the confederation's is a point Grisel raises often. The other city-states attribute it to coincidence. Grisel does not argue the point. It simply waits.