Death

"Uion comes for us all; whether we are ready to greet him or not." - Oracle of Uion

Death is one of the certainties of live, so they saying goes. Whether of old age in their beds at night or at the end of a sword on the battlefield, all things in Cyrrin must die.
Or at least that's how it used to be. These days, provided you are willing to give the right price, there are extending charms that can be bought or certain people that can be paid to remove death from the equation of life.
Lichdom and Vampirism are popular version in Neravia, whereas Alvara prefers methods of life extension through elixirs and blessed charms.

Death Rites

Each country and kingdom boasts it's own death rites and rituals. 

Sraebadah & Khayal

Death rites in Sraebadah and Khayal are perhaps some of the more strange, and the only ones that involve the preservation of a part of the body.  The Temple acolytes prepare the body for burning under the supervision of a senior Shade. Typically cremations are carried out within 24 hours of a death, as the Temple prefers to not use preservatives on the body. The head is removed from the body prior to cremation and a special process, held secret and deeply sacred by the Scrimshanders, is used to remove the flesh from the skull.
A stand in is used for the skull during the cremation. Depending on someone's status and wealth, this could be a replica made of wood, bronze, tin, gold, or in the case of royalty, gems. Wealthy people will often keep both the carved skull the Scrimshander gives them and also the replica. The common people often use wooden balls with carved eye sockets and the deeply impoverished might use a piece of cloth tied around bundles of hay or sand with eyes drawn on.

Type

Natural