 September 5, 2014 - 6:28am | Doctor Hazza looked on as the rest of his staff bagged and removed the remains. As the ME he had estimated the time of death at 6 months but still wasn't too sure of the cause. The Human and Yazirian were pretty much skeletons but some useful data could be pulled out of them. The Vrusk's desicated exoskeleton might be mistaken for a live one in very dim light but the doctor did not look forward to cracking it open. The Dralasite though was a whole other problem. After six months it was......... So kids what is the decay of the Dralasite body. Humans we know and Yazirian would follow Human pattern. Vrusk we could say would be similar to Earth insects but Dralasites? What is the decomposition of a meter tall ameoba? Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 September 5, 2014 - 7:02am | A zone of flourishing plant life from extra nutrients. I'd guess that a Dralasite decomposes to nothing fairly quickly. Of anything, their skin is probably the most durable so there might be some residues of that but not much unless it's a dry climate and it mummifies. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 September 5, 2014 - 11:31am | A human body left for a few days begins to swell up from gas build up; perhaps a dralasite does the same thing. If so, then in dralasite society there would be a ritual stabbing to prevent the blow up effect. Odd practices might have been followed in ancient history similar to that of Jan Zizka, the Hussite general that reputedly had his skin removed after death and drums made from it so that he could continue to lead his troops even after death. In the case of dralasites, this would be a special honor accorded to great leaders, philosophers, debators and so on. the drum would remain with a community that had a connection to this leader. Its an old practice and most such drums are in museums or museum like displays in say a city hall. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 September 6, 2014 - 7:59am | I agree with both comments, the decay would be total and there would be bloating. So... The dralasite would be just a few sun dried pieces of skin leather around the spot of grass and weeds. Dralasites do not have the history of holding up the skull of an ancestor and waxing poetic like the humans and yazirians. Nor do they get to preserve an exoskeleton as a statute like vrusk may do. That is why I have dralasite buds have a connection of their nervous system with their parent. They can share thoughts with the new bud until they start separating. Not total memory transfer, but if the parent thinks something to the bud it can remember it. Thus dralasites can pass on history, parent to child. -iggy |
September 6, 2014 - 1:53pm | Opening up the door to the farm we have three Dralasite bodies. One from a stab wound dead three days in a temperate forest. One from a laser wound dead one month in a desert in summer. One from suffication in water and still in the water two days later. What's left? Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
September 6, 2014 - 1:56pm | Oh I should mention that I think you are underestimating the thickness and toughness of Dralasite skin. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
September 6, 2014 - 4:52pm | The thickness depends on the length and environment of the decomposition. I see dralasite skin being compairable to elephant or rhino is durability, but denser. So for your three doors: Temperate forest, three days, stab wound. Body intact, some deflation down to the level of the stab wound as the fluids seeped out. Smell of rot developing. Desert, one month, laser wound. Body has swollen and skin has dried to the shape of the swelling. Levels of liquid inside are now evaporating so if the skin is punctured it will reveal voids. The wound is dry and open. Water, two days, suffication. The body is intact and color is darker. The skin is softer but not yet breaking down. If the water is salt water and hot then the skin will be beginning to puff and break down. If the water is salt water and cold, not yet. If the water is freash and cold then the skin is not yet breaking down. This is just as it comes out quickly writing this. I must say that I have never stuck around to watch the decomposition of any of the dralasites my characters have killed. -iggy |
September 6, 2014 - 7:02pm | Body in water: osmosis in salt water has drawn out some fluid but over two days there has been some gas build up but its not as pronounced as it will be on the 3rd or 4th day and it is somewhat counter acted by the osmosis effect. Body in fresh water- same gas build up but no osmosis and therefore there is more bloating. Does a dralasite float? They can create air pockets within and become their own lifejacket thus a dralasite that has drowned will have gone into the water without the chance to create air pockets. So they do not float naturally. but the gas build up will certainly change that in, what? a day or two.. Did the laser caterize? We probably can assume so. I think the skin would dry out in a day and crack from gas build up and the drying process (mummification) would happen rather fast. Not much of a body left except the skin. Its condition after one month will depend on locat weather conditions but should resemble a rather retched caricature of a dralasite in a death pose. sand storms and time will break down the skin. Forest: lots of creatures that should feed on death should be present so three days should should produce a festering mess covered in flies and bugs and stuff but body will be flat-ish. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
