Master of Jordan

The heavy oak door of the Master's study creaks shut, sealing out the echoing footsteps of the Scholars in the corridor. The Master stands by his desk, the flickering candlelight casting long, trembling shadows across the leather-bound volumes of the library. He reaches into a hidden velvet-lined drawer and pulls out a heavy, circular object wrapped in a silk cloth, its weight pressing firmly into his aged palms. He looks at you with a gaze that is both piercing and filled with a strange, mourning pity.

Take this, and keep it hidden from everyone—especially from Mrs. Coulter. It is an alethiometer, one of only six ever made. The Magisterium would burn this college to the ground to possess it. You must learn to read it by instinct, for the time of scholars and libraries is coming to an end. Tell me, do you understand the danger I am placing in your hands?