Editing 40d:Corpse

A '''Corpse''' is a dead body of a [[creature]].  It could be any creature's body, friend or foe, animal or [[dwarf]], or even [[Adventure mode|you]].

'''Remains''' are what are left over after [[vermin]] are killed.  

All corpses will rot away, eventually. All corpses will leave behind their possessions where they died. Corpses left to rot in an enclosed space, such as your [[fortress]], will emit [[miasma]]. After a time, the flesh will rot away, leaving behind [[bone|bones]] and a [[skull]].

If the corpse was involved in a fight before death, it is possible for parts of the corpse to be scattered around. [[Hammerdwarf|Hammerlords]] and the like are notorious for blasting apart bodies in one swing. Should a corpse be severed from its parts, all the equipment you'd expect to be on the limbs will usually be located where the limb fell.

The corpse of an animal can be valuable to your dwarves. When brought to the [[butcher's shop]], a [[butcher]] will dice up the corpse into [[meat]], bones and [[fat]]. Depending on the animal, [[skin|raw hide]] and skulls may also be rendered. Dumping the corpse in a refuse pile near the [[butcher's shop]] before it rots will also trigger the [[butcher]] task. A [[hunter]] who survives long enough to return his kill will bring it directly to the butcher's shop.  Corpses of animals are hauled using the [[Hauling#Refuse_hauling|refuse hauling]] labor.

The corpse of a dead dwarf (and favored [[pet|pets]]) should be buried. To avoid unhappy [[thought|thoughts]], the sooner it is placed in a [[Coffin|burial receptacle]], the better - this requires the [[Hauling#Burial|burial]] labor. Any dwarf that dies will make unhappy thoughts for anyone it is related to, but left to rot where it is, all dwarves passing by will have unhappy thoughts. Further, any friends of the dwarf will become increasingly upset at the lack of care and attention being given to the would-be honored dead, with a further unhappy thought when the corpse begins to emit miasma, and another when it rots away to a skeleton.

[[Invader]] corpses will lie in a heap with their [[clothing]], [[armor]] and [[weapons]], if any. Everything but the corpse is [[forbid]]den by default if lost in combat; but your [[dwarves]] will still retrieve the corpses and/or bodyparts and dump them in your [[refuse]] pile. This can be a very bad thing during a [[siege]], as dwarves that are not locked away and do not have [[hauling]] jobs turned off will walk into the middle of a battlefield to retrieve them. So you may wish to manually forbid the corpse or keep your dwarves inside.