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Worldbuilding

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    $\begingroup$ Oh! Magic. So yeah you can do pretty much anything you want, so long as it's consistent. Say the buildings are protected by magic laid into the foundations and the walls won't fall apart... Since the world has magic, you'll have to lay some ground rules for how it works and if it would have any affect on the city in question. $\endgroup$
    – AndyD273
    Commented May 19, 2016 at 18:04
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    $\begingroup$ @dot_sp0t - none of our castles are that old, I'm afraid. Also, they were maintained over time $\endgroup$
    – AndreiROM
    Commented May 19, 2016 at 18:08
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    $\begingroup$ @Brian - if the city was suddenly swallowed up in a magical cave where moisture, the elements (think snow, storms, flooding, etc) and animals aren't going to disturb it then the city might actually remain standing to a large degree (depending on things like earthquakes, or whether wood is used for structural support - when it decays the building would fall apart) $\endgroup$
    – AndreiROM
    Commented May 19, 2016 at 18:11
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    $\begingroup$ There have been some books written recently about what happens in New York and London if people leave. They have focused on much shorter time scales-days to a few years, I think. $\endgroup$
    – Ross Millikan
    Commented May 19, 2016 at 19:40
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    $\begingroup$ @RossMillikan modern materials decay much differently. Here in FL if you leave the AC off a few days your drywall could melt off in a couple of days leaving just a house frame that will fall apart in less then a year. "Old Timey" construction didn't use materials that needed as much maintenance (though some were pretty bad). $\endgroup$
    – coteyr
    Commented May 19, 2016 at 22:30