The First Gate of Death

The First Gate of Death (known also as the Gate of Life) is the Gate between the realm of life in the Physical Plane, and the River of Death. It is the only Gate left unguarded by any Spirit of Death.

The other Eight Gates are as follows:
 * The Second Gate of Belisar
 * The Third Gate of Varanis
 * The Fourth Gate of Elkaroth
 * The Fifth Gate of Khovat
 * The Sixth Gate of Dymani
 * The Seventh Gate of Orineth
 * The Eighth Gate of Artavan
 * The Ninth Gate

Passage through the Gate
Unlike the other Gates, the First Gate is almost abstract in nature: a veil that encompasses the First Precinct and without tangible form.

There are only three known methods of entering the First Precinct from the realm of the living: While passage through the First Gate into the River is simple, it is returning that proves the real difficulty. The return itself may be performed anywhere within the First Precinct, and requires a foothold within the realm of life.
 * 1) By the true death of a physical living being/creature
 * 2) * A true death is defined as a death in which any connection between body and soul is severed, separating the two; any remaining connection renders a death false and untrue
 * 3) * Once true death occurs, the body instantly begins the process of decomposition, while in a false death, the remaining connection between body and soul maintains the integrity of the physical body
 * 4) By the power of a Death rune
 * 5) * Here, a Death rune physically held by a being in the Physical Plane maintains the connection between body and soul, though the rune weakens dramatically the further a soul travels from its body
 * 6) By the innate power of a Deathringer
 * 7) * Here, it is the innate magic of a Deathringer that maintains the connection between body and soul, though the longer they remain in the River, the more difficult it becomes to maintain that connection
 * For Deathringers and those using a Death rune, this is often their own still-living but soulless body; by concentrating on their physical body, these beings may return to life if their will to return is great enough
 * For those who have truly died, this foothold is achieved through whatever memories they maintain of having lived; the clearer the memories and the stronger the will to return, the greater the foothold
 * Farces in these memories often lead to the resurrected Dead becoming mangled in mind and twisted of body

The First Precinct
The First Precinct is the calmest, with the "waters of death" being relatively silent and only ankle-deep. To those not under the "shackles of death" and conscious, the waters may also feel warm, though this is merely illusion. Here, the current is slow, and appears almost still.