For all the critics of using "die" as a shortcut:
1. I do not think it is unfair because everyone can use it and nobody gets hurt or harmed. And what will be the next thing you want? Should players be forced to use the paths instead of the wilderness, because it is "unfair" that they are faster, compared to the newbies when going straight through?
2. It is a possibility (with a consequence) and as every other possibility in this game it is being and will be used in the future. If you don't want to do it, fine, but don't try to force others to your ethics, please.
3. As someone pointed out, we do spend real life time in this world. And for me (an Enki) it is often a complete waste of time, running from BD back to Oja. Have you ever checked how much time it really takes?
4. As long as there is no faster way to travel (by flying with a creature, using a magic gate or something similar) I do not see a point for wasting my time running stupidly through the wilderness. Reason? It helps absolutely *nobody* if I do. Because if I want to get from one point to another I will run as fast as possible and won't do any roleplay anyway.
5. I think someone else pointed that out to: DR is just another map, there to explore. There is more than just the way to the exit. And why should it be ooc in any way, when I am (as a curious character) want to explore everything, including the land of the dead?
6. And this is a very important reason to me: Many times when I went to DR I found newbies who were hopelessly lost. I did help them when they asked me, so I think, though it is not intended, it is a good thing to use "die" and it even can lead to some roleplay. I said before, I use it when I am in a hurry, but when I know I can save all the time I would have used running from BD to Oja, I can take things a little slower, so yes, there *is* a lot more roleplay for me when I'm in DR than when I run madly through the wilderness
7. The problem with stronger punishment is also: Should every death be punished more? If so, this is extremely unfair too, because it punishes everyone who is more into fighting or exploring (think about accidental falls from high places) over those that only do quests.
All in all, I would be seriously annoyed if what you call "abusement" will be punished more harshly in the future.