Cup

The sacred Cup is a silver goblet used in Noradz to determine the fate of anyone who has majorly disobeyed their laws. Placed in the Cup are cards reading 'Life' and 'Death'. If the offender chooses the 'Life' card, their life is spared. However, when the 'Death' card is drawn, the offender is put to death.

City of the Rats
When Lief, Barda and Jasmine arrived in Noradz, the city's leaders, the nine Ra-Kacharz, saw Filli on Jasmine's shoulder. Since any animal or small creature was forbidden and considered evil in the city, Reece, the leader of the Ra-Kacharz, ordered Filli to be caught and killed. Jasmine told him to run and find a safe place to hide, so he did, and was not found. As a result of this, the companions were directed to the meeting hall, where a great fireplace had been lit. The prisoners were made to undergo a trial, where the sacred Cup was to decide their fate. Lief was the one to pick the card, so was made to face the front while Reece put the cards in the Cup. This was when he noticed Tira, a girl he had saved from punishment, silently mouthing out words to him. She warned him that both the cards read 'Death', and Lief realised that the cards must have been switched. When Reece ordered him to turn around, he called upon the calming powers of the Topaz, to clear his mind. He drew a card out of the Cup, and instantly whirled around, seeming to trip, and dropped the card into the fire, burning it to ashes. Lief apologised for his clumsiness, but told Reece to look in the Cup, saying that the card he chose could be easily determined by looking at which card remained in the Cup. One of the other Ra-Kacharz drew the remaining card, which read 'Death', indicating that Lief had chosen the 'Life' card.