Hey, all you experts in things medieval:
In my medieval-setting fantasy series, I have a murder take place in a royal hunting lodge. The lodge is a tall stone structure, more like an L-shaped fortress than a simple lodge. It backs onto the edge of a ravine. On the first floor is the main hall, which has a high ceiling, and leading off it, a kitchen area. In the crook of the L is a courtyard which can be accessed from outside by crossing behind the lodge, or from inside by passing through the kitchen. On the second floor are a couple of large sleeping chambers and a garderobe which empties down a chute to the bottom of the building and into the ravine. The murder takes place in one of the sleeping chambers.
Originally I'd had the murderer carry the body outside and around the lodge to toss it over the precipice, where the underbrush, combined with an oncoming snowstorm, will hide it. Eventually the body will be discovered, but not for some days, and the murderer will be long gone by then.
Part of the problem is that there are a couple of servants at work in the kitchen, and the murderer is worried about being seen if one of them comes out into the courtyard. In my original draft the murderer just got lucky and no one came out. Having given the scenario more thought, I'm wondering if he could shove the body down the garderobe instead (the victim is a thin woman).
So my questions are:
1) How big can a garderobe chute be? I'm thinking the potty in question might be a two-seater.
2) Is it feasible to dispose of a body down the chute? I don't mind if the body gets jammed there (the murderer is REALLY angry at the victim and would revel in the knowledge that her body will be shat upon). If the chute is plugged up as a result, that might make for a more dramatic (if messy) discovery of the body.
Am I out in left field here? Thanks!
In my medieval-setting fantasy series, I have a murder take place in a royal hunting lodge. The lodge is a tall stone structure, more like an L-shaped fortress than a simple lodge. It backs onto the edge of a ravine. On the first floor is the main hall, which has a high ceiling, and leading off it, a kitchen area. In the crook of the L is a courtyard which can be accessed from outside by crossing behind the lodge, or from inside by passing through the kitchen. On the second floor are a couple of large sleeping chambers and a garderobe which empties down a chute to the bottom of the building and into the ravine. The murder takes place in one of the sleeping chambers.
Originally I'd had the murderer carry the body outside and around the lodge to toss it over the precipice, where the underbrush, combined with an oncoming snowstorm, will hide it. Eventually the body will be discovered, but not for some days, and the murderer will be long gone by then.
Part of the problem is that there are a couple of servants at work in the kitchen, and the murderer is worried about being seen if one of them comes out into the courtyard. In my original draft the murderer just got lucky and no one came out. Having given the scenario more thought, I'm wondering if he could shove the body down the garderobe instead (the victim is a thin woman).
So my questions are:
1) How big can a garderobe chute be? I'm thinking the potty in question might be a two-seater.
2) Is it feasible to dispose of a body down the chute? I don't mind if the body gets jammed there (the murderer is REALLY angry at the victim and would revel in the knowledge that her body will be shat upon). If the chute is plugged up as a result, that might make for a more dramatic (if messy) discovery of the body.
Am I out in left field here? Thanks!
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