Syllatorizawa @syllafari@TheEdVerse
hey, i have a yuan ti character that needs to dispose of a human body somewhat quickly for the party. dare i ask, could a fully grown pureblood swallow parts whole? and in what sort of timeframe— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 5, 2020
1)
Purebloods are the most human-seeming yuan-ti, and so are most like humans in their eating capacity. However, like some serpents, they can temporarily unhinge their jaws to swallow things that wouldn’t otherwise fit, but if… 2)
…they swallow whole (not chewing or masticating, and so not giving their saliva many surfaces to work on, in the ingested material), they end up with lumps in their bodies that are only slowly digested by their stomach acids…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 5, 2020
Sounds about as useful as a normal human eating a corpse. 3)
…(4-5 days before the yuan-ti needs to defecate; they won’t be hungry for longer, but could force morsels down to ‘pretend to eat’). The digestion includes bones, so they leave little evidence behind, but the swallowing whole… 4)
…isn’t fast; if done publicly, the yuant-ti will be seen. And the pelvis, skull, and other large-in-span bones would have to be shattered before swallowing is attempted.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 5, 2020
Indeed. ;} Faster body disposal methods are: on a nightsoil wagon, under all the dung, and: up on a relatively flat, unoverlooked roof, for the vultures and other carrion-eaters to dismember. Or just disjoint and incorporate into the dishes served by a busy kitchen.#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 5, 2020
What about people proficient with herbalism or Alchemy kit´s?
Would the alchemist be able to “acid” away the body fast?
And the herbalist might be able to mask the scent of decay from human noses but not birds per chance? Yes, some acids can dissolve bodies rapidly. The usual problem in an emergency is not having a vessel (e.g. the classic bathtub) handy to contain enough acid, long enough, without itself getting eaten away.
(No folks, I'm not a body disposer. I have, however, written mysteries.)— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 6, 2020