An evil cackling greets your spirit as you leave your lifeless body. Ahead of you, the fiery gates leading to the afterlife await. Behind you is darkness. No more will you roam the earthly plane, nor will you be able to contact any you knew before. Death has claimed you, and Death will keep you until the Gods decide otherwise. Death wanders those lands you have left behind, claiming his victims as he claimed you.
A powerful red stallion appears before you, his mane and tail aflame. Hooves leave scorch marks upon the hard floor, his eyes are black, unfathomable, soulless. He cares not for your pain nor pride. This is his world. You will obey.
His eyes pick through your soul, deciding whether to allow you entry to his domain. Once you enter these gates, the only way out is when he decides you are worthy. Even the Gods dare not challenge his authority in these lands.
He snorts, a small cloud of smoke drifting upwards.
"Pass through these gates, and your soul belongs to me. It is no guarantee you will return to the lands of the living, nor will this journey be free. A curse, a fee, a contract...All are binding, all will be paid. If you do not honour your contract, you will never tread upon these lands again...Nor will your new life be easy. You are but one of many, and others will gladly pay the price of your head for their own. Your stay here will be but short, a mere two weeks until you are reborn or your soul moves on. If the gods have killed you, plead not to them for life. They will listen to few, less still their own victims. Set your own price, I will decide whether to accept...
Those who have a guilty conscience will be punished, those who have a clear one are not necessarily freed from this punishment. You may be dead, but there are a thousand ways with which to crush your soul still further. Death is only the beginning...."
He turns and walks through the fiery gates. They do not close, but stay open, as though lying in wait....In wait for you....
There is an inscription upon the gates themselves.
For those who seek to return...
You are owned by Death the moment you pass this gate,
He alone shall decide your fate.
Life is lost, life is unsure to gain,
The road to return is filled with pain.
Many hardships you must face,
For your life to be restored to grace.
Enter