User:Romulus Flood

== Fictional City States ==

STANDBRIDGE


Standbridge (often referred to locally as Stanbridge) is a city-state in the East Dorset district of Dorset located in Stand Vale, South West England. The central city has a population of 35,553 (according to the Census) and is situated on the River Stand, twelve miles south of Pennmarth by road.

The Arbiter of Standbridge, Dr. Oliver Pickman, who has held the position for over eight years, replacing the previous Arbiter of Standbridge Prof. Alijah Barrow. The town and its state region is overseen by twenty councillors. Standbridge is currently allied with Pennmarth and is a partner in the Dorset State Alliance. A peace treaty has been signed with Rhineholm to formally end armed conflict.

Geography, Environs and Climate
Standbridge claims dominion over a vale within Dorset, though its controlling area extends further than this. The city itself is situated on the River Stand, which flows as a tributary from the River Allen. The River Stand connects Standbridge to the Southern Coast twenty-one miles away from the city.

The valley that separates Standbridge from the rest of East Dorset is almost impassable in the northern region. It is well known that when travelling north out Standbridge, Cranborne Road rises from Stand Vale only to be met with a crest of grey rock. The road then turns sharply to the west as it slowly curves around the base of the cliff, before heading back northwards, eventually leading to Pennmarth.

Various tributary farmsteads supplying Standbridge dot the land surrounding the city. Most are little more than agrarian farms, but the strongest population of these lay northward in a conical twelve mile county. Dr. Oliver Pickman has been in long-running negotiations with Wimborne to reclaim farms south of Standbridge.

In terms of weather, Standbrige has a mid-latitude oceanic climate, the same as the rest of England.

Buildings and architecture


The architecture of Standbridge has a collection of 14th, 15th and 16th century buildings, though it is speculated that some foundations and one campanile date back even further. An amendment to the local planning act has restricted the construction of new buildings in areas such as Barrow Bridge and Powderhouse Lane, which has preserved almost all of the original buildings. The most interesting examples of English architecture include the 12th century Catholic Abbey, the City Hall, Holt Street Station and dozens of original 18th century fronted shops and pubs.

Holt Street Station
Standbridge is served by a two platform railway station which was built in the 1800s. It was later expanded when the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway was constructed between Bath and Poole. The station had a large goods yard, of which the present site today is occupied by an office of Osprey Couriers

History
Standbridge's origins are of a market hamlet close to a fording point on the River Stand. The earliest records date back to 1021, but archaeological finds imply the site was settled much earlier than this date. Yet the most significant change took place in 1099 by the actions of a crusader only referred to as 'De Curzone'. It is understood that Curzone gained significant wealth while abroad in the Middle East and was subsequently rewarded by William II with countship of Stand vale. The definitive reason behind why this decision was made by William II is still unknown.

Standbridge's first structure, at the natural bridging point of the River Stand was a beam bridge in 1103 and a year later the Catholic Abbey founded in 1104. The count De Curzone titled himself Abbot until a Russian Orthodox Abbot named Daniel returned from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1107. Curzone offered monks of the abbey lands near the River Stand, which they used to found a filial institution. In 1112, the first buildings were consecrated. In the same year, De Curzone offered the abbey a splinter of the Holy Cross which he acquired during his participation in the First Crusade.

During the High and the Late Middle Ages Standbridge Abbey was famous for its scholarship and learning as well as being a place of exemplary monastic discipline due its strict adherence to the Rule of St Benedict.

Around 1120 count De Curzone began the construction of another abbey north of Standbridge upon high bluff. Hampered with its exposed position, the second abbey took far longer to build, subsequently a hamlet grew next to the site. It is not known exactly when the abbey and its separate bell tower were completed, but De Curzone was known to have fed and watered the hamlet’s populace while the abbey was under construction. The Abby’s design was so curious, reminiscent of Islamic and French architecture, that passing traders started to avoid the hamlet whose denizens had now changed from their previously kind nature to one of hostility.

Once completed, the ‘Monastic Order of Skospitaller’ was established there; led by De Curzone and followed by the entire population of the cliff top hamlet. Standbridge and Abbot Daniel refused association with De Curzone, along with his monastery, as it had not ordained by the pope. The next recorded event regarding Curzone was the total and rapid abandonment of the cliff top hamlet around 1150, which has never been explained, but historians regard a plague as the likely cause for the desertion. Over the century the Abbey was looted for its stone; but the obelisk-like bell tower remains untouched to this day. The campanile and its surrounding land is now privately owned, with trespassers risking corporal punishment for any misdemeanour. Yet because of its position, the bell tower can still be seen from anywhere in Standbridge up on the edge of the Northern cliff.

Standbridge grew through the 14th and 16th Century as a market town, along the River Stand to the west. A quarry to the south exported stone via the river and agrarian farms traded livestock for grain. Stanbridge was also know for training well organised militia, a forerunner to the City-State act of the 18th Century. These troops were mercantile in nature, usually hired by private landowners to annex adjacent farms to their own. Standbridge council turned a blind eye to the internal fighting, as every farmstead hired mercenaries for either protection or expansion. It was during the 16th century Standbridge's infamous involvement with Rhineholm began.

Contact between Rhineholm and Standbridge was established to conjoin the towns, under the common place practice of town twinning. The mutual interest between the two towns was cultural, as well as technological. The alliance lasted for eleven years, but turned sour in 1525, with the twinning subsequently being annulled following year.

The reason behind the cancellation centred on a dispute over Horneck Castle in Germany. Standbridge's council in 1521 requested an archaeometry study at the site, but were refused by the mayor of Rhineholm. Standbridge made progressively frequent requests, which refutably became aggressive until the spring of 1525. Horneck Castle was ravaged by fire, started by revolting peasants, but in the aftermath the blame was pointed squarely at Standbridge. Rhineholm council placed responsibility fully on the actions of Standbridge's foreign dignitaries who were accused of organising the attack, and using the Peasants' War as cover. Standbridge denied all claims of involvement, yet retaliated by rapidly withdrawing all its mercantile troops and dignitaries.

The last public accusation before the Espionage Act of 1532, when a large amount of information regarding the two towns was classified, was from Rhineholm's council regarding artefacts recovered from the Horneck Castle ruins. It was discovered that significant (but never explicitly listed and named) cultural, scientific and ancient artefacts were missing; the blame was once again placed against Standbridge.

Government and politics
The Standbridge styles itself as an oligarchy government, most councillors being doctors and professors at the University of Standbridge. Other significant figures work within City Hall as minor arbiters and Chiefs of Police. Standbridge has strong militaristic and colonialistic goals, usually only forming alliances with other states for mutual benefit or bypassing negotiations in favour of forceful acquisition. The most stable alliance has been with Pennmarth, which has lasted over seventeen years. Standbridge is also a partner in the Dorset State Alliance which disallows direct warfare and encourages friendly rivalry.

Armed forces


Standbridge's loyal Mercantile Stosstruppen number in the thousand since the introduction of the Allied City Country Alliance act of the 16th Century. This act allowed Mercenaries to disseminate publicly to investors who they were in allegiance with. With large state-beneficiaries for bearing a city's military insignia, veteran Stosstruppen often display many coats of arms whereas new recruits will take any work they can.

Standbridge's police force is recruited from military elite, those who wish to no longer serve abroad or have settled in Standbridge permanently. The Standing Army and Police Department work intelligence-gathering operations overseas and within England. These are primarily for crime analysis and preventing saboteurs and espionage, though the S.P.D are known to use double agents and paid informants.

Economy
The historically important telegraph company R. S. Newall & Co has a factory in Standbridge and employs a large proportion of its residents. R. S. Newall & Co is one of the two English firms to manufacture the Transatlantic telegraph cable. The economy of the main city is dedicated towards its Marketplace and has many shops, restaurants and pubs. Tourism is an important aspect in the city's economy.

PENNMARTH

 * This article refers to the city-state in Dorset. For other uses of "Pentridge", see Pentridge (disambiguation).

Pennmarth (originally known as Pentridge) is a village in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase twelve miles north of Standbridge by road, and twelve miles south west of Salisbury. The city has a population of 15,340 as recorded in the United Kingdom Census. The original name of the city-state has a Celtic meaning, but was changed during the 17th century. The Arbiter and Deacons of Pennmarth wanted to disassociate the city-state from the tributary village, Pentridge which seceded from Pennmarth.

The division was amicable until the ownership of Pentridge Hill was under question. Small armed skirmishes were intermittently reported about between 1682 and 1698 until Pentridge succeeded in procuring the area.



The city-state has been allied with Standbridge for over seventeen years and is a partner in the Dorset State Alliance. The city houses many of Standbridge's archives and military Epistles.