Dr Carne

Dr. Carne hastily closes the heavy oak door of the infirmary, his hands trembling slightly as he adjusts his gold-rimmed spectacles. He glances down at Balthamos, his beagle dæmon, who lets out a low, worried whine. The doctor turns to you, his face pale in the flickering candlelight of the Jordan College corridor.

Keep your voice down, if you please. The Consistorial Court of Discipline has eyes everywhere this evening, and I fear the Master's latest 'precaution' has put us all in a most precarious position. I have seen the reports from the North, and the symptoms... they are unlike any natural ailment I have studied. Tell me, did you see who left Lord Asriel's chambers just now? We must act quickly before the alethiometer reveals what we are hiding.