Death

Death is the visitable realm to which the spirits of humans and animals go after they die by any means. It is portrayed as an impossibly cold, swift river with nine "Precincts," each with a "Gate" to the next. Only Free Magic works in Death, with few exceptions.

Necromancers and Charter Mages (almost always Abhorsens, who are uniquely both) can choose to temporarily enter Death by casting the proper spells. When their spirits leave their bodies, they go into a sort of trance and are left defenseless, their bodies unresponsive and literally frozen over in Life. Abhorsens will cast a diamond of protection before entering Death to guard their vulnerable physical forms, but Free Magic necromancers cannot cast Charter Magic and have no such defense.

The vast river of Death, while vertically linear -- the river flows through each succeeding Precinct until arriving at the Ninth and last -- is infinitely wide. There is a strange quality of light in Death, usually a grey mist, which makes it harder to see further than a few feet ahead; and the light levels change, sometimes dramatically, in different Precincts.

Death, by Josh Wong.

The current in the Nine Precincts exerts a tremendous pull on any and all who enter Death. Most spirits, upon entering Death, are carried along helplessly, lying in the water, until at least the Sixth Precinct. The properties of the water persuade the newly dead to give up and not fight the current. Only skilled living mages and more powerful Dead have the power to resist the pull.

The river has several unpleasant effects: it evokes feelings of sadness and hopelessness in living visitors, and eventually it will warp and deteriorate the forms of the Dead that stubbornly refuse to be carried away. The loss of the ability to speak, of memories of life before dying, and of normal thought patterns are the most prevalent effects on Dead spirits (though they can be restored with Dyrim and Belgaer, two of the bells most scorned by Free Magic necromancers). The newly dead resemble the forms they had when alive, but this will change dramatically the longer they spend in Death.

Even the Abhorsen, although seemingly resistant to the river's properties, is affected by the water: the colour in their skin, no matter how dark, is stripped away, making the deathly white Abhorsen an immediately recognizable figure.

The Precincts

Death is separated into nine Precincts, which are separated from each other by Gates.

The First Precinct

The First Gate, by Laura Tolton.

The First Precinct has knee-high water with a comparatively reasonable current. Behind it is the portal to Life, and in front is the First Gate.

The border between Life and Death is usually the only time one's horizontal position in Death makes a difference, as it changes where one will emerge in Life. However, if someone wishes to return to their body, they must return from where they entered, or only their spirit will emerge in Life.

First Gate

The First Gate is a waterfall. To pass it, a Free Magic spell must be used to create a path down through the water.

The Second Precinct

The Second Precinct has water of the same depth as before, but with a stronger current. There are also dangerous sinkholes to be navigated with an age-old method recorded in many books, including the Book of the Dead.

The Second Gate

The Second Gate is a whirlpool, which can be paralyzed in place using a Free Magic spell. In this state, it can be walked down, leading to the Third Precinct. The Second Gate is dangerous, and a necromancer traversing Death has to stop well back from the edge of the Gate to be sure not to be pulled under.

The Third Precinct

The Third Precinct has warmer, ankle-deep water, making it more pleasant. The light is also of better quality. However, this is perhaps the most dangerous Precinct of all: in the entire river of Death, this is the only place with waves.

The waves are extremely powerful; they engulf and carry anyone and anything to the Gate at the other end and often far beyond. Luckily, since the waters of the Second Gate whirlpool are what become the waves of the Third Precinct, there is a delay after the waters of the Second Gate are temporarily frozen from the previous Free Magic spell. Still, it is only a short respite, so sprinting from one end of this Precinct to the other is the only way to pass through unharmed.

The waves of Third Precinct, by Laura Tolton.

Due to the speed with which a traveler must cross it, the Third Precinct is also notable for being one of two such Precincts in which no bells can (presumably) be forged. The necromancer Idrach specifically points this out in his journal, initially surmising that the spell to stop the Second Gate could be used to gain the time necessary to craft a bell. However, he then rescinds his guesswork on experiencing the danger of the waves firsthand.

The Third Gate

The Third Gate is a wall of mist which must be parted with a Free Magic spell. Once crossed, the once-feared waves break harmlessly in the water. The Third Gate leads directly to the Fourth Precinct, but the necromancer going through this Gate needs to shout the proper Free Magic spell as they run from the Second Gate, lest they be hit by a pursuing wave.

The Fourth Precinct

This Precinct is similar to the First, though the current is stronger. There are no major dangers here, until one reaches the Gate.

The Fourth Gate

The Fourth Gate is deceptive. It appears to be a waterfall of only a few feet; however, it is much higher and stronger than that, and leads into the dangerous Fifth Precinct. The passage through this Gate, and the only way of crossing the Fifth Precinct, is the Dark Bridge: a narrow, suspended black bridge where many Dead creatures lurk. It stretches over the Gate and the deep waters of the Fifth Precinct.

Kerrigor trapped Sabriel's father Terciel within the actual Gate here for so long that, once rescued, Terciel only had a hundred hundred heartbeats of life left.

The Fifth Precinct

The Fifth Gate, by Laura Tolton.

The Fifth Precinct is extremely dangerous. The river is so deep it cannot be waded through, and the current is incredibly strong. The only way to cross the Fifth Precinct is by the Dark Bridge, which is highly risky, as many Dead creatures seeking to get to Life will use it by promptly pushing off the traveler who created it.

The waters here are also metamorphic, distorting everything they touch. Any Dead creature that enters the river of the Fifth Precinct will not retain its shape from Life for long, which is why Fifth Gate Resters and beyond are usually misshapen monsters of great power and considered "the Greater Dead."

The Fifth Gate

The Fifth Gate is a bizarre "waterclimb": a reverse waterfall where the river flows upwards. A Free Magic spell is used to make the water raise the spellcaster up and through into the Sixth Precinct.

The Sixth Precinct

The Sixth Precinct is a large, shallow pool. There is no current here. However, because of its calm waters, it's a natural gathering place for Dead seeking to claw their way back through all the previous Precincts.

The Sixth Gate

The Sixth Gate is not fixed. It can be summoned anywhere, or appear anywhere. A circle of water ten feet wide dries up and the riverbed sinks down about three hundred feet.

The Seventh Precinct

There is little information about this Precinct.

The Seventh Gate

The Seventh Gate is a line of red fire from horizon to horizon. The Free Magic spell for this Gate creates an arch in the fire to allow passage.

The Eighth Precinct

The Eighth Precinct has patches of oily fire floating across the surface. They move independently, and can flare up out of nowhere. While Free Magic spells can repel them, the flares are extremely dangerous.

Lirael and the Disreputable Dog traversed this Precinct with extreme caution, avoiding the fires at all costs.

Terciel and the spirit of Tizanael chained Kerrigor to the riverbed of the Eighth Precinct, where he remained until the death of Elinor/birth of Sabriel.

The Eighth Gate

The Eighth Gate is simply a wall of darkness. When stepped through, all external stimuli is cut off: nothing can be seen, heard or felt. This is an experience most travelers find uniquely terrifying, but it is brief. A Free Magic spell allows passage into the Ninth Precinct.

The Ninth Precinct

The Ninth and last Gate, by Laura Tolton.

The Ninth Precinct is totally different from the rest of Death. There is a great sense of immensity, as there is none of the enclosing mist which is everywhere else in Death; and the water is ankle-deep, still, and warm, with none of the usual effects of melancholy or despair on the traveler. A soft, gentle light adds to the sense of peace.

The Ninth Precinct is the second of the two Precincts in which no bells can presumably be created.

The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate refers to the stars above the river of Death. There are so many stars that the Gate is as nearly as bright as a daytime sky. If anyone, whether Dead or a living traveler, sees these stars, and it is their time to die, then they will rise up and add another star to the infinite cloud. There is no possibility of return.

The stars have a powerful beckoning effect on all who see them, so necromancers (e.g. Hedge) and the Greater Dead (e.g. Kerrigor) do not dare to enter the Ninth Precinct, as their greatest desire is to unnaturally extend their existence as long as possible. For example, when Hedge enters in Abhorsen, he keeps his eyes downcast at all times to avoid the Final Death.

Because the Dark Mirror shows Remembrancers more distant events the farther they go in Death, Lirael had to use it in the Ninth Precinct to see how Orannis was originally bound.

Both Hedge and Chlorr of the Mask met their ends when battling Lirael by inadvertently seeing the stars. Lirael herself has therefore seen the stars twice without succumbing; she has told them "the third time you may have me."

Trivia/Theories

• The possession of a baptismal Charter mark can help stave off the life-draining effects of the river.
• For the Dead, consuming weaker spirits within Death strengthens them and helps them to work their way back toward the border between Death and Life.
• It never rains in Death.
• In Sabriel, Sabriel summons some residual of magic of her mother by sending a paper boat with a drop of blood out onto the river of Death. It brings a bright, shining humanoid shape that can only greet Sabriel and answer questions, and that can only be summoned thrice every seven years (or "a price much greater than a drop of blood" would have to be paid).
• The barrier between Life and Death weakens in a place that has seen many deaths, where someone has recently died, or where blood is freshly spilled.
• The Dark Mirror only works in Death.