What does a torture room smell like?

[SeverinR]

The Bookshelf Muse: Setting Thesaurus Entry: Dungeon

I think this link will offer suggestions, some reason it won't open for me.
The emtion thesaurus has a setting thesaurus on the right of the page-dungeon. (graphic descriptions-so I assume it is a torture room.)
The Bookshelf Muse: THE EMOTION THESAURUS

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Having forgotten Friday's details I would still guess that the torture room would have used quick lime not lye. Though they do a similar job of breaking down organic matter. Lye if you've ever smelled it - which you probably have since it's a common alkalicleaning agent, is not too terrible smelling. But the problem is that it combines with organics - especially grease and oils - to make them soluble, and what you actually smell is the new compounds formed by their mixture. Some of them can be absolutely aweful.

In a torture pit I would agree with what everyone else has said. Lots of bodily fluids, and yes if you've ever smelled a gut opened up as in a sheep etc, the smell is unbelievably vile. But how strong the smells there are will depend on how fresh the spillages are, whether they've dried out at all, and whether there's any ventilation. Also humidity will play a big role. Worst case it's a damp underground dungeon where nothing ever really dries out and there's no venitilation, in which case expect the smells to include that of rotting meat and to be overpowering.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[wordwalker]

And, as people have mentioned, the most important smell is OHGODGETOUTTAHERE. Smells are the most direct link to memory and emotion the body has, and we're hard-wired to take the scent of damaged or terrified humans as a very bad thing.

(By the way, I've heard that the writers who compare burned human flesh to the smell of pork are making it up; it smells like nothing else, and you're too busy reacting to describe it.)

 

[Aprella]

Great, thank you all for this information! I really helps bringing everything more to life