Blood Ruby

Item from acotar-mist-and-fury by

The Blood Ruby is the Night Court's mark of death, a flawless crimson gem sent to those the High Lord has sentenced, carrying a message no one in Prythian misreads.

A Blood Ruby is the Night Court's official declaration of a death sentence, sent from the Hewn City or from Velaris itself to mark a target for elimination. It is not a threat — it is a promise, and once received, the recipient's name is known to every shadow, every mercenary, and every blade-for-hire in the Night Court's territory. No one who receives a Blood Ruby has ever been known to survive the month, for the Court of Nightmares does not issue empty warnings.

Appearance

The Blood Ruby is a faceted gemstone the size of a thumbnail, cut into a teardrop shape that seems to pulse with an inner, dark light. Its color is not the cheerful red of a summer rose but the deep, clotted crimson of heart's blood, and it is always warm to the touch, as though freshly drawn from a wound. Set in a simple band of dark, unadorned metal, it is beautiful in the way a blade is beautiful — clean, purposeful, and final.

Also known as: Ruby of Judgment, The Crimson Mark, Night's Sentence, The Warm Stone

What They Know

• The Blood Ruby tradition predates Rhysand's rule by centuries, originating in the Hewn City as a way for the High Lord to delegate executions without leaving his throne.
• Once a Blood Ruby is sent, the target's name is added to a silent list carried by every spymaster and assassin in the Night Court's employ — though the Inner Circle rarely uses them, preferring more surgical methods.
• The gem itself is not magical in the traditional sense; its power is entirely symbolic, but in a court where symbols carry the weight of law, that symbolism is as binding as any spell.
• Receiving a Blood Ruby is considered a formal declaration of war against the Night Court, and the target's family, allies, and household are often given a grace period of three days to disavow them before the sentence is carried out.
• There is no known way to rescind a Blood Ruby once it has been sent — the only appeal is to the High Lord himself, and such appeals are almost never granted.

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