Death and Reincarnation

When a person dies, unless their body was completely disintegrated in the process of their death, their non-magical equipment is reduced to dust; then, their eyes melt away and their skin becomes taut on their muscles. This corpse has a specific name; a Husk. They are a precious resource, and most Veikas recommend bringing back any Husks they find to the nearest city (or outpost, or war camp) in order for it to be used for the war effort.
The Husk is what happens to a dead person's body; but their soul meets a different fate. All people who die go to meet Ako, wheresoever it may be hiding. There, it asks a question of them: do they wish to keep on fighting and reincarnate into a Husk, or do they want to have a chance at a new life?
This is the only aspect of meeting Ako that people remember - every other aspect of that discussion is erased from their memories when they reincarnate. Ako's appearance, its voice, even its location - all of this is forgotten. Only the question, and the answer, remain in the soul's memory. Some say that people who have managed to solve their Regret get a third choice, but no one knows exactly what that choice is.
The choice to come back to a new life causes the soul to reincarnate into the body of a baby. The memories of their past lives will eventually come back to them, but muddled, blurry; they will get the chance to make a new life for themselves, just as promised.
The choice to reincarnate into a Husk causes the Soul to immediately inhabit a Husk; the corpse gains the deceased's eyes, and their skin becomes normal once more. Their memories are mostly intact from the process, including the memories of any previous incarnations they may previously have had. This is why it is important for nations to have a steady supply of healthy Husks; so that many souls are able to reincarnate into them, and perhaps even souls from other nations, that they may switch to their cause.
Nobody is really sure how a Husk is chosen, because it is part of the discussion with Ako. Scholars have determined that people tend to reincarnate into a Husk that matches the type of their previous incarnation; so a Joined often reincarnates into a Joined Husk, for example. This isn't always accurate, and some strange occurences, such as a Child of Domhan reincarnating into a dragon's Husk, or vice-versa, have been recorded in the past. The only thing that is certain is that a Soul can never reclaim a Husk they've already inhabited.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural