Decomposition

Some items decompose over time. The time it takes for an item to decompose and disappear from the world depends on the characteristics of the item.

Corpses, for instance, decompose in a matter of days, while bones may take hundreds of years to decompose.

An item may vanish from your hand during combat or from your inventory while you are exploring. Therefore, you should try to consume food as soon as possible and only take nondecomposable weapons to battle.