Royal Alcazar of Madrid

For centuries, the Royal Alcázar of Madrid (Real Alcázar de Madrid) stood as a physical symbol of both the protection and the governance of Madrid and the rest of Castile. First constructed almost a thousand years ago, over the centuries it was added to both above and below, expanding it slowly over time. Sadly, the effect of various construction techniques and architectural sensibilities created problems within the structure. Not only did it look patch-worked, but the lack of a singular vision over the centuries restricted airflow and light in such a warm environment, making parts of the Alcázar unpleasant.
The royal family wanted to rebuild it, but was reluctant to strain the national treasury for it. However, a group of nature mages that had fled Saxony in fear for their lives approached the crown to offer a gift of using magical construction to rebuild the Alcázar, both as an experiment for themselves as well as gratitude for the new home Castile offered them in their hour of need. So a new Alcázar was planned, part palace, and part castle, to fulfill the duties of government as well as guard the city.
For the past few months, the druids have been working the stone with their rituals, chanting, holding hands and burning braziers of odd things, slowly shaping and raising it in ways that hand tools never could. Even the dwarves are in awe.  The stone rises directly from the underlying bedrock, providing pillars that are even more sturdy than mortared or fitted stone.  In time, once the druids have completed their portion of the foundation and pillars, stone masons and other more mundane techniques will complete the structure.  The planned building is a beautiful blend of the best architectural style from Castile and around the Mediterranean.
Beneath the Alcázar is a maze of tunnels, cellars and dungeons.  While the basic layout of these will remain unchanged, here the druids have used the same techniques to meld the stones to one another in critical areas, providing solid sections that require less maintenance and strengthening the tunnels from collapse.  This makes them safer and the Alcázar above more stable as well.

"Gods be good, that thing was ugly.  It looked like a group of peasants stitched it together with drawings of other fortresses.  Oh sure it had history but there were some places that were so lightless and stuffy I wondered how someone in charge didn't 'accidentally' set fire to the thing just to build a new one..."
~Manuel Gálvez, Alcalde of the Toledo region

Type

Palace

Owning Organization

Castillia