Ghost
Inkling
So... I have this battlefield where corpses were left to rot. They've been in an open field for about six weeks, exposed to the elements.
The bodies are at a stage of advanced decay:
Stages of Decomposition - Australian Museum (Stage 5)
Forensic entomological decomposition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decomposition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
My questions are these:
How much give would the corpses have? I mean, if a character were to interact with one by kicking one or attempting to move one, I'm assuming it wouldn't hold together well. I described a crunching sound when someone kicks the ribcage of a corpse, but I want to be accurate.
Would they smell strongly? I've come across dogs in this stage of decomp, and I could only smell it when I was right on top of them. The second link states: "Strong odors of decomposition begin to fade." Keep in mind, this is a field strewned with bodies. I don't know if the smell would be powerful or faint but pervasive. I figure, since they're not in active decay, it wouldn't be a wall of smell but the number of bodies might affect that.
I'd appreciate any help you can give me!
The bodies are at a stage of advanced decay:
Stages of Decomposition - Australian Museum (Stage 5)
Forensic entomological decomposition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decomposition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
My questions are these:
How much give would the corpses have? I mean, if a character were to interact with one by kicking one or attempting to move one, I'm assuming it wouldn't hold together well. I described a crunching sound when someone kicks the ribcage of a corpse, but I want to be accurate.
Would they smell strongly? I've come across dogs in this stage of decomp, and I could only smell it when I was right on top of them. The second link states: "Strong odors of decomposition begin to fade." Keep in mind, this is a field strewned with bodies. I don't know if the smell would be powerful or faint but pervasive. I figure, since they're not in active decay, it wouldn't be a wall of smell but the number of bodies might affect that.
I'd appreciate any help you can give me!