Riddersholm

Pronounced Ritters-holm. A monarchy- and senate-run island nation whose name loosely translates to "Knight's Isle".

The Ridderstone
Secretly a cosmic gem that helped form the island nation and advance it to survive the cataclysm that claimed their Atlantean neighbors, it powers their nation and technological advances. If it were discovered for what it is, it would be coveted by villain organizations in the world at large.

Riddersfolk
The citizens of Riddersholm are a diverse melting pot. Over the centuries, many people have accidentally stumbled upon the island's shores, eventually staying after discovering utopia. Because of exposure to the energies of the Ridderstone, some of the Riddersfolk have unusual characteristics, such as unnatural hair or eye color.

A sizable part of the population are Artificial Intelligences. Some have physical bodies they reside in, while others prefer to live on the Net. They are fully recognized as citizens on equal footing to their organic countrymen. Physical housings used by AIs are varied, and some have multiple bodies they reside in, jumping from one to another as it suits them, or using them simultaneously.

In general, the citizens love their monarchs as a point of civic pride, even though they are mainly figurehead.

Technology
The most advanced the world hasn't seen, and they keep it to themselves mostly. While they do trade some knowledge, they keep the most important—and dangerous—knowledge to themselves. The island kingdom was able completely self sustaining, protected and hidden from the outside world. Because the nation was nearly destroyed in a few occasions by magic users and the magical entity now imprisoned in the aisle, they do not allow magic in their nation, and have anti-magic technology to keep them safe. Before the Fall, Riddersholm was capable of very slowly drifting to different locations around the world depending on the season, sometimes floating in the air or in the sea, or hidden beneath the ocean.

Advanced medicine extends the Riddersfolk's lifespans and has eliminated illness from the society and extended lifespans, but immortality has not been sought. Aeons past, a Riddersholm King declared life needed to be limited to have meaning, and so the law has remained.

Exotic Particle Matter Physics and the Ridderstone allows for feats of super science.

Language
Riddertale - The Ridderfolk native tongue borrows from a few languages, and Modern Riddertale has some notably Danish/Scandinavian influences. It has a flare for metaphor and storytelling, and is complex to a non-native. To an untrained ear, it may sound like a romance language mixed with Scandinavian.

Over time words and phrases from other cultures have become the colloquial norm due to the Ridderfolk's tendency to pick up stranded and water-logged strays that drift into their sphere of influence.

Cuisine
Fusion. Experiencing the cuisine of the world on their Riddersvildfarener, the citizens often brought back samples from their adventures for their food replicators to mimic and mix.

Foisbreq Sireacl: Initially, it looks like the Pakistani dish Daal Chawal, but fried in a ball of tight seaweed and then sticky rice. When fried it all cooks together and what you get is something that tastes quite a bit like a seaborne pierogi with a very bright and sweet afternote that radiates through the body.

Culture
Riddersvildfaren: The Riddersholm equivalent of a walkabout, or knightly quest. With everything they could want provided, the one thing Riddersholm lacked for millennia was adventure and glory. Such things needed to be sought out in the outside world. Most Ridderfolk, at one or two times in their lives at least, voyage out into the world to seek glory and heroics, or perform great acts of charity. What for them was duty, honor, and a fun adventure, turned into legend and stories of great men and women in world history, both in heroics and in the arts and sciences. But the most legendary of tales take some notes from the 'magical' or 'superheroic' acts of the royal line in disguise on their Vildfaren.

At heart, the Riddersfolk are the ultimate knights-errant when visiting abroad.

History
Riddersholm has been influencing and cultivating the world bit by bit with a light hand. In the world's darkest days, chances are Riddersholm has experiencing an isolationist swing in its own development. The Renaissance that pulled the world out of the dark ages was sparked in some part by the then newly crowned king of Riddersholm, none other than Amara's late father, King Omar Ogden. With his coronation came an end to a long stretch of isolationism. At his decree, the Ridderfolk were encouraged into going out in the world to wander, help, and inspire, but not to advance the world too fast.

When some impatient Riddersfolk helped boost advancement too fast during the industrial revolution, King Omar mandated that any Riddersfolk on vildfaren must halt sharing knowledge or assisting in technological advancement before any further damage was done. When the World Wars started, King Omar and a great number of Riddersfolk left the safety of their isle to help the Allies bring the world back into peace and order.

The Fall of Riddersholm
With Jak Venture's help, Mechanon's forces were able to locate and infiltrate Riddersholm and take over the heart of their technology department, SCEPTER. Taking over their advanced yoctotechnology and corrupting a large host of the AI citizenry, Mechanon has bolstered his resources to become more advanced than ever and waged a war to take over Riddersholm and its resources. The Riddersfolk, with the help of a few heroes and Princess Amara, were able to fight back Mechanon and prevent the floating island of Riddersholm from an uncontrolled crash into the ocean. The costs casualties were devastating, and King Omar died defending his kingdom.

Revealed to the world and in need of rebuilding, a grieving Amara was crowned Queen well before she was prepared, coming to reign during Riddersholm's darkness hour since the time of the Atlanteans. Though Mechanon was purged from Riddersholm's networks and its machines destroyed, Mechanon still pursues Amara for its schemes to finish its acquisition of Riddersholm.

Recently, it was discovered that Jak was the instrument of Riddersholm's fall, and he's now hunted by the Ridderfolk for high treason and the deaths of all those who fell to Mechanon's forces.