The Gnomish Mills

Overview: The Gnomish mill system ensures decentralised learning for all gnomes. The mill system continues to this day. Capable of being a stand alone library, each mill is a central hub of activity for each small village. The mill is usually the responsibility of a local family, they are known as stewards of the mill. The information kept in the mill is relevant to the surrounding area ensuring that it is to the point and kept up to date.
The very opposite of prestigious and elite learning the mills ensure that effective learning takes place and is open to all. The idea of hoarding knowlege is anathema to all gnomes. If asked about this they explain that the more they know the more likely they are to be either efficient or to expand upon thier knowledge. The idea of barriers to entry when it comes to learning is completely foreign to them.
Structure: Because of its decentralised structure the most powerful person is the mill director (MD). The mill director is responsible for the path the mill will take. As the mill is the hub of the village, incorperating the postal service, the library, the power system and other functions the role of MD is an important one. The MD and their family are responsible for maintenance of the mill.

Unique ability: Once per week any mill can use its excess power generated to create a portal to another mill. This portal lasts as long as the excess power. It is the dream of all the Gnomish people to generate enough power for all of the mills to be joined permanently. Not only would this help the spread of knowledge but would remove the geographical issues of travel; uniting the Gnomish People, uniting knowledge and powering the nation to a new level.
Annual festival: The Festival of Knowlege is celebrated in memory of Delleb who disappeared and is yet to return. The mills all attempt to join at the same time for one day. Their is a method to how this is done. The mill with the least in common with another mill join. The furthest Farming Mill from the capital Mage Tower is the one to connect to the Mage Tower. This huge gulf between the lived experience of those in the Mage Tower to the farming community on the border serves two main purposes. Firstly, with two different perspectives, it is hoped that answers to big problems can be addressed. Secondly, it is a reminder to both groups that without one another the nation would not be as prosperous as it is.
Gnotable Gnomes:

Torga: A humble air ship captain Torga had grown up in the capital. When she was a child the city was hit with an infestation of locusts. Torga remembered the Mages summoning all sorts of animals to deal with the locusts. Years later when travelling to the borderlands she noticed that locusts were significantly impacting farm production. That week she connected the local mill to the Mage Tower. The magi dented the locust population, significantly improving crop production.
Felnir: Felnir was an engineer from the Automaton Construction company. After a brief holiday in the realms of the fairies he decided to travel back to work 'The long way'. A large group of Orcs were nearby and rumour was that they were planning a raid. Felnir, spent 2 days constructing what looked like a terrifying Automaton of destruction. As the ors approached the Automaton scared them away. The local family responsible for the mill were thankful. Felnir replied 'The thing is useless I just designed it to scare them off. Had it not worked we would all be in a lot of trouble.'