Furnace Ancona

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"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."

Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked content. Proceed with caution.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"There are many people in London looking for many different Revolutions. But we can't get distracted squabbling among ourselves. My aim is to keep my Union together long enough to demand a settlement of land for every member. When the Railway is done, we can have our own town, somewhere out along the line, and the Masters can leave us alone."[1]

Furnace Ancona is the leader of the Tracklayer's Union.

An Advocate for Labor

"I'm not putting down a single rail tie if we're not being paid, and it takes more than your word on that."[2]

A worker with a hat holding a tool.
A tracklayer.

As the leader of the TLU,[3] Furnace supervises her union's projects,[4] meets with investors,[5] and ensures fair payment.[6][7] She possesses excellent political acumen,[8] though she is not a bureaucrat. Instead, she leads from the front lines, working alongside union members and making use of her practical knowledge.[9][10] She opposes any threats to workers' rights,[11] especially Mr Fires and its lackeys.[12] Thanks to her deeds, she is a living legend among many, from tracklayers,[13] to labor advocates,[14] to revolutionaries alike.[15]

Furnace's ultimate goal is to build a city for the TLU, where they can live free from the Masters' influence.[16] This is the founding principle of the Emancipationist ideology, one of three schools of thought within the union.[17] She has detailed plans for this city's infrastructure and governance,[18] and hopes its establishment will set an example for the future.[19] She claims this to be a practical, down-to-earth goal, though she seems to have utopian leanings.[20]

History

"My grandfather belonged to a Friendly Society – before the fall. They all swore – on the skeleton of his neighbour's goat – never to work for less than ten shillings a week. One of his friends was caught and transported to Australia, for taking such a stand. And that was before... before Mr Fires and Mr Stones and the Bazaar."[1]

"She used to be called Beatrice. But then she was working for Mr Fires. One day it gave instructions to the workers that they weren't to wear helmets for protection. So she jammed the machinery so it trapped Fires in the back room of the factory and got everyone out. Master was stuck in there for three days before it escaped."[21]

A hooded figure with red eyes.
Mr Fires

Born in the Neath[22] as Beatrice Ancona,[23] Furnace is of Italian descent.[24] Her grandfather belonged to a Friendly Society, and swore to never work for an unfair wage even in the face of punishment.[25] Before becoming a tracklayer, Ancona worked in one of Mr Fires' factories. One day, Fires demanded its workers no longer wear protective helmets, so Ancona trapped it in a back room for three days while everyone evacuated.[26]

Afterwards, all the workers in the factory lost their jobs,[27] but Ancona gained the nickname "Furnace" because "what else contains a fire?"[28] Furnace later formed the TLU,[29] and she and her team worked on the Moloch Line commissioned by Hell, a now-decommissioned children's ride at Mrs Plenty's Carnival,[30] and the Great Hellbound Railway.[31] To this day, Ancona prefers the name "Furnace" over "Beatrice", as she would rather use the name she earned than the one she was given at birth.[32]

Appearance

"Early the next morning – much earlier than a civilised person should be awake – a woman presents herself at your lodgings. She's wearing overalls, work gloves, and a vast metal helmet, as though she were going on a deep-zee dive."[33]

"Furnace's other two faces are not positioned quite where her ears should be. They are a little further back, so that, counting the frontward face you know, the three of them are evenly spaced around her skull."[34]

A woman wearing a large metal helmet.
Furnace's helmet.

Furnace is a muscular woman[35] who typically wears rugged overalls, gloves, and an enormous metal helmet with a front-facing visor and holes drilled into the sides.[36][37]

Furnace's helmet conceals two extra faces positioned slightly behind her ears.[38] Each of these faces can act and speak independently: they sometimes comment from within her helmet,[39][40] and display other autonomous behaviors,[41] such as one falling asleep while the other faces remain awake.[42]

Personality

"Furnace isn't the kind that stays home stamping letters for the front. Where the work is, that's where she is. When she's in London, that'll be because that's where she's found the biggest threat to the workers. But she's been all the way out. Made the journey to Hell and back on foot, twice."[43]

"Furnace accepts the Hillmovers with pleasure. "I'd like to see a Master roost on this," says a voice that doesn't come from her mouth."[44]

A rat holding a wrench.
A Minacious Union-Rat.

Courageous,[45] charismatic,[46] and compassionate,[6] Furnace is steadfast in her principles. She is willing to incur personal sacrifices for the greater good,[47] and refuses to let her workers be defrauded.[48] As the leader of a broad coalition, she tries to ensure fairness in her decisions and values unity, even when she does not agree with all parties involved.[49][50] She gets along best with her working-class fellows,[51] and dislikes the rich and privileged.[52] She rarely displays vulnerability,[53] though she privately worries her plans may fail, her union may break apart, or that she may let her fellow workers down.[54]

Each of Furnace's faces has its own personality, in accordance with the three factions of the Tracklayer's Union:[55]

  • Her front-face is Emancipationist.[56][57] She presents this face to the outside world.[58]
  • Her Prehistoricist face follows the teachings of Cornelius.[59] It is conservative regarding change and disorder,[60] and has a tendency to wax philosophical.[61]
  • Her Liberationist face supports the Liberation of Night.[62] It is audacious and driven,[63] but prone to picking fights with the other faces.[64]

Furnace's reflection in Parabola runs a tea parlor,[65] displaying paintings of Furnace's dream city.[66] Her reflection prefers to go by Beatrice, and has only one face.[67] It seems the real Furnace sees opening a tea business as a backup should her union no longer need her.[68]

The Hurlers Incident

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"This is what Cornelius' experiment did. He invoked a power against speaking 'more than one truth with the same mouth.' So when I needed to speak for one of my constituents that I don't personally agree with, this happened. Didn't silence me, though. That should explain anything you need to know about me and Cornelius. And I'm done with this conversation."[69]

A man wearing bandages holding a bone.
Cornelius

Furnace once had a partner, Cornelius.[70] The two worked on the Moloch Line as co-leaders of the TLU,[71][72] and eventually reached the Hurlers, standing stones marked with the Discordance. Hell wanted the stones excavated, but Furnace refused due to the dangers involved. After some persuasion from one Supervising Deviless, however, Cornelius went to study the stones anyway.[73][74]

Cornelius invoked a Discordant law that forbade "speaking more than one truth with the same mouth."[75] It is implied Cornelius wanted to "cure" Furnace of her tendency to advocate for points of view she did not agree with,[76] but Furnace was not to be silenced. Instead, she ended up growing extra faces to speak for the Liberationist and Prehistoricist ideologies,[77] neither of which she believes in personally.[78][79] As for Cornelius, he grew a multitude of extra mouths,[80] died,[81] and disappeared from the public eye.[82]

The incident left Furnace with a hatred for devils.[83] She has mixed feelings about Cornelius,[84] but has no intention of working with him in the future.[85] While she believes her extra faces serve a purpose, she would like to be rid of them after her duty to the union is complete.[86] She is also firmly against trifling with the Discordance, which is something all three of her faces can agree upon.[87]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ask about her goals, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Ask Furnace where to begin, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Submit forms in triplicate, Fallen London "I'm 'Furnace' Ancona, I run the Tracklayers' Union [...]"
  4. ↑ Ask how her team works, Fallen London ""Three things," [...] surveying, [...] track-laying, and [...] station-building. First we have to decide where the track should go [...]"
  5. ↑ Submit forms in triplicate, Fallen London "[...] if you want to put down any rail out of London, it's me you need to be dealing with."
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lay track through plains and set aside housing for the workforce, Fallen London "Furnace takes the scrip [...] "Most of the Tracklayers couldn't afford a plot of land [...] "This is a very kind donation to their retirement. [...]"
  7. ↑ Proclaim your dedication to Revolutionary causes, Fallen London "[...] you want to do right [...] Pay us well and make sure we've got full bellies."
  8. ↑ Play Furnace Ancona against the rest, Fallen London "She knows where all the pressure points are. She knows what changes minds and alters courses."
  9. ↑ Ask whether Furnace Ancona ever comes out this way, Fallen London ""Furnace oversees the work when there's work going on," [...] "Furnace isn't the kind that stays home stamping letters for the front. Where the work is, that's where she is. [...]"
  10. ↑ Persuade Furnace/Tables, Fallen London ""Wetland," [...] "Bad for the health and bad for morale. [...] I warn you, [...] The Tracklayers are not going to enjoy working there.""
  11. ↑ Ask whether Furnace Ancona ever comes out this way, Fallen London "[...] When she's in London, that'll be because that's where she's found the biggest threat to the workers. [...]"
  12. ↑ Ask about her fears, Fallen London ""I think you got the railway steel from Mr Fires [...] it isn't pleased to have someone else building this railway," [...] I've seen his lackeys twice, [...] watching the Tracklayers? And once a dirigible passed overhead, [...]"
  13. ↑ Make a study of the local smuggling rings, Fallen London "[...] there's the railway and the Union," [...] I won't be caught blaspheming against Saint Furnace Ancona, because I know how folk feel about her, [...]"
  14. ↑ Introduce her to your Minacious Union-Rat, Fallen London "Ever since he heard you knew Furnace Ancona, he's been begging to [...] meet her."
  15. ↑ Introduce her to your friend the Revolutionary Firebrand, Fallen London "The Revolutionary Firebrand veers between awkward excitement to meet Furnace and offering vehement advice [...]"
  16. ↑ Ask about her goals, Fallen London "[...] When the Railway is done, we can have our own town, somewhere out along the line, and the Masters can leave us alone.""
  17. ↑ Inspired Emancipationist Propaganda, Fallen London "You have inspired painters and sculptors with the dream of a town for workers."
  18. ↑ Feed Furnace a Hearty Parabolan Taper-nut Cake, Fallen London "[...] she is full of practical plans for her future village of union members: [...] management of sewage [...] a rotating supervisory council [...] no one will hold power for more than a couple of years."
  19. ↑ Feed Furnace a Hearty Parabolan Taper-nut Cake, Fallen London ""I see the Neath as a proving-ground," [...] we can devise a more just working mode of managing [...] replacement for ordinary governments – we can teach those above [...] we have to start here. Anything up there will be wiped out [...] Too many masters.""
  20. ↑ Ask him about the Emancipationists (Cornelius), Fallen London "According to Furnace [...] it is a pragmatic approach [...] she'd start planning [...] Anti-markets where you could pick up anything you wanted without paying [...] Amphitheatres to debate in [...]"
  21. ↑ Ask where Furnace got her name, Fallen London
  22. ↑ Acknowledge that you've heard of such arrangements, Fallen London "[...] Furnace would have an easier time than he did – being Neathborn, [...]"
  23. ↑ Ask where Furnace got her name, Fallen London ""She used to be called Beatrice," [...]"
  24. ↑ Inquire into the origins of her name, Fallen London ""What, Ancona?" [...] "My grandfather is Italian. He was in London when she fell. [...]""
  25. ↑ Ask about her goals , Fallen London ""My grandfather belonged to a Friendly Society – before the fall. They all swore [...] never to work for less than ten shillings a week." [...] One of his friends was [...] transported to Australia, for taking such a stand."
  26. ↑ Ask where Furnace got her name, Fallen London "[...] she was working for Mr Fires. One day it gave instructions to the workers that they weren't to wear helmets for protection. So she jammed the machinery so it trapped Fires in the back room [...] and got everyone out. Master was stuck in there for three days [...]"
  27. ↑ Ask how he came to be in this position, Fallen London "Furnace has Fires kettled up in the back room, and we've all lost our jobs."
  28. ↑ Ask where Furnace got her name, Fallen London "[...] they call her Furnace because what else contains a fire?""
  29. ↑ Ask how he came to be in this position, Fallen London "[...] we've all lost our jobs. [...] when she said all of us were welcome to join in the Tracklaying work, I came along."
  30. ↑ Ask about their past work, Fallen London ""We did all the tracks from Moloch Street to the Iron Face," she says. "Commissioned by Hell [...] there's a Young Person's Steam Train where Mrs Plenty's Carnival gave rides [...] It's shut down now, [...]"
  31. ↑ Submit forms in triplicate, Fallen London "Arrange for the Great Hellbound Railway Company to build [...] "I'm 'Furnace' Ancona [...] if you want to put down any rail [...] it's me you need to be dealing with."
  32. ↑ Persuade Cornelius, the Bandaged Prehistoricist/Tables, Fallen London "'Furnace,'" [...] her name is Beatrice? She doesn't like it if you call her that. [...] says she'll thank you to call her by the name she earned in life and not the one that was stuck onto her by her parents at the moment of birth."
  33. ↑ Submit forms in triplicate, Fallen London
  34. ↑ Claim curiosity, Fallen London
  35. ↑ Carry Furnace out of here, Fallen London "It's a struggle [...] carrying a muscular woman and her exceptionally heavy helmet; [...]"
  36. ↑ Submit forms in triplicate, Fallen London "[...] a woman presents herself at your lodgings. She's wearing overalls, work gloves, and a vast metal helmet [...]"
  37. ↑ Get a good look at her helmet, Fallen London "[...] a metal helmet [...] a protective visor on the front. [...] a few holes drilled through on each side of the head, [...]"
  38. ↑ Claim curiosity, Fallen London "Furnace's other two faces are not [...] quite where her ears should be. They are a little further back, [...]"
  39. ↑ Ask her about the Liberationists 1, Fallen London "Furnace pauses. "Some of them do," says her front mouth. Then her Liberationist mouth adds, "It is a broader coalition than you might think. [...] "Disorder," says the Prehistoricist mouth. [...]"
  40. ↑ Build the station at The Hurlers, Fallen London ""It could have been worse," says another voice from her helmet."
  41. ↑ Feed Furnace's Prehistoricist face a Culinary Tribute to the Sea of Spines, Fallen London ""Hey," says her Liberationist face. "You might give us some of that!""
  42. ↑ Be quiet the rest of the way home, Fallen London "At some point, you hear snoring from her helmet. When you glance over, her eyes are still open."
  43. ↑ Ask whether Furnace Ancona ever comes out this way, Fallen London
  44. ↑ Support the Liberationists and build track through hilly land (Evenlode), Fallen London
  45. ↑ Ask whether Furnace Ancona ever comes out this way, Fallen London "But she's been all the way out. Made the journey to Hell and back on foot, twice."
  46. ↑ Kick out (Current Leader) and install Furnace as leader of the Tracklayers, Fallen London "Her speech is bracing [...] After that, the vote is not even close."
  47. ↑ Ask about her fears 2, Fallen London "[...] "In the worst case – I have armed myself. [...] Might kill me at the same time, [...] I've stood beside the Discordance [...] before. [...] I might live through it, whatever it does. [...] I'm not going unarmed, that's sure.""
  48. ↑ Ask Furnace where to begin, Fallen London "[...] I'm not putting down a single rail tie if we're not being paid, and it takes more than your word on that.""
  49. ↑ Ask about her goals, Fallen London "My aim is to keep my Union together long enough to demand a settlement of land [...]"
  50. ↑ Try for a further understanding of his intentions, Fallen London [...] "I begged her. [...] Stop carrying the burdens of every person in the union, [...] stop being so d–d fair to your opponents. But she saw that as a diminishment."
  51. ↑ Introduce her to your Minacious Union-Rat, Fallen London "The Minacious Union-Rat expresses its class solidarity to Furnace. Furnace responds warmly: [...] The Rat asks for organising advice, which Furnace duly offers."
  52. ↑ Persuade His Amused Lordship/Tables, Fallen London "Furnace remarks that His Amused Lordship can always be trusted to vote against, if the proposal doesn't stand to enrich himself or his friends."
  53. ↑ Arrange with Furnace to repair the missing block, Fallen London "[...] "Is this what it looks like on the Surface, where London used to be? The empty space joined up [...] When you don't immediately answer, her cheeks turn pink [...] "You look like the kind of person who would know things like that," she says gruffly."
  54. ↑ Ask about her fears 2, Fallen London ""I'm afraid of failing the Tracklayers," [...] "I'm afraid that when the time comes for us to build a place of our own, I won't be able to build the coalition [...] the Union will split, [...] some workers will be led off [...] by Cornelius, or lured back to London. Or that some incalculable mischance will happen, [...]"
  55. ↑ The Next Stretch of Track/Lay track, Fallen London "Supporting the Liberationist/Prehistoricist/Emancipationist Tracklayers "
  56. ↑ Bring Cornelius to see her, Fallen London ""We did the rescuing, thank you," snaps Furnace's Liberationist face. Emancipationist-Furnace [...] That face is still a bit pink with new-grown skin."
  57. ↑ Furnace Ancona's Wounds, Fallen London "Her front face has almost regrown."
  58. ↑ Claim curiosity, Fallen London "[...] counting the frontward face you know [...]"
  59. ↑ Challenge her about siding with Revolutionaries, Fallen London "[...] she adds, "There's a proper job for everyone." But her lips didn't move, [...]"
  60. ↑ Ask her about the Liberationists 1, Fallen London ""Disorder," says the Prehistoricist mouth. "It's possible to have some ambition without making a mess.""
  61. ↑ Feed Furnace's Prehistoricist face a Culinary Tribute to the Sea of Spines, Fallen London "It fills the stomach no matter which face eats it," grumbles the Prehistoricist face. "And you wouldn't appreciate the philosophical nuances. [...] Its warmth is the warmth of being in your proper place, and its aftertaste is peace."
  62. ↑ Tell her you side with Revolutionaries, but not Liberation of Night, Fallen London ""Dark," whispers a second voice, somewhere."
  63. ↑ Support the Liberationists and build track through hilly land (Evenlode), Fallen London "Furnace accepts the Hillmovers with pleasure. "I'd like to see a Master roost on this," says a voice that doesn't come from her mouth."
  64. ↑ Ask her about the Liberationists 1, Fallen London ""Feeble defence of the status quo," comments the Liberationist mouth. [...] The Liberationist mouth is always the one that picks the most fights."
  65. ↑ Visit Furnace Ancona's sleep, Fallen London "This place serves tea and cakes, [...]"
  66. ↑ Beatrice's Parabolan Tea Room, Fallen London "The walls are decorated with etchings, paintings, even murals, all of them showing towns planned or in elevation. 'A Paradise for Workers' [...]"
  67. ↑ Speak with Beatrice about Furnace, Fallen London "Furnace's reflection has only one face. [...] Beatrice has a fiercely triumphant expression, [...]"
  68. ↑ Kick out (Current Leader) and install Furnace as leader of the Tracklayers, Fallen London "Furnace slumps. "What am I meant to do now? Open a tea parlour? The Union still needs a town of its own." [...]"
  69. ↑ Claim curiosity, Fallen London
  70. ↑ Track down Cornelius 1, Fallen London "You've heard of this Tomb-Colonist. Once he was a partner of Furnace Ancona."
  71. ↑ Ask about those stones out in the frozen patch of Neath, Fallen London "[...] there were two leaders to the Union," [...] "Furnace, of course, and then Cornelius, [...]"
  72. ↑ Ask how she first learned about stones like the one you just left, Fallen London ""It was when we worked on the devils' line," Furnace says. "Have you heard of The Hurlers? [...] I had a partner then, [...]"
  73. ↑ Ask about those stones out in the frozen patch of Neath, Fallen London "[...] "The crew gets as far as the Hurlers and they find a bunch of standing stones with writing over them. [...] the Deviless in charge wanted all the stones dug up, catalogued and shipped to Hell. Furnace said no, it was dangerous and it wasn't in our contract. But Cornelius always did need to keep people happy, so off he goes to do a bit of amateur archaeology. [...]"
  74. ↑ Ask how she first learned about stones like the one you just left, Fallen London "[...] "Have you heard of The Hurlers? [...] I had a partner then, and he knew some strange alphabets." [...] "What happened next [...] Our Supervising Deviless would tease him that he couldn't read the stones. [...] "When he did read the words –" [...] "It was bad."
  75. ↑ Claim curiosity, Fallen London "This is what Cornelius' experiment did," [...] "He invoked a power against speaking 'more than one truth with the same mouth.' [...]"
  76. ↑ Try for a further understanding of his intentions, Fallen London ""I wanted her to be herself," says Cornelius. "I begged her. Please. Stop carrying the burdens of every person in the union, and just be you. Speak your views, your own views, [...] But she saw that as a diminishment. [...] Maybe I want to lift the weight of it off her. [...] I managed it wrong, before.""
  77. ↑ Claim curiosity, Fallen London "Furnace's other two faces [...] "This is what Cornelius' experiment did," [...] "He invoked a power against speaking 'more than one truth with the same mouth.' So when I needed to speak for one of my constituents that I don't personally agree with, this happened. Didn't silence me, though.""
  78. ↑ Ask her about the Liberationists 1, Fallen London ""You ask for a decent meal for your workers and you get back a load of [...] rhetoric about how we're trying to tear the stars out of heaven.""
  79. ↑ Bring Cornelius to see her, Fallen London "[...] I thought – you'd see the merits of my work. [...] You've never respected our cause." [...] "I respect plenty, thanks to what you did to me back at the Hurlers. Your friends have their representation. And I'm never partnering with you again, Cornelius," [...]"
  80. ↑ Hear him out 2, Fallen London "[...] a litany of thoughts from all the little mouths. At the end, Cornelius' central mouth says, "It was my fault. I called on the Discordance, [...]"
  81. ↑ Ask how she first learned about stones like the one you found, Fallen London ""It was when we worked on the devils' line," Furnace says. "Have you heard of The Hurlers? [...] "Afterward – he didn't live long."
  82. ↑ Ask whether she's heard anything about Cornelius coming back, Fallen London "[...] "If he is alive," [...] "and if he's in the Neath, he would owe me a visit. Or [...] a message. He hasn't done those things, so I assume that he hasn't really come back.""
  83. ↑ Ask questions about the history between Furnace and the Devils, Fallen London "[...] Furnace [...] blames us for [...] accident? It was a deliberate action against her former partner. [...] every time I've gone around to see her, she has been surprisingly rude.""
  84. ↑ Persuade Furnace/Tables, Fallen London "Furnace pauses a long time. "He's a Tracklayer," [...] "He cares for those that work, and his loyalty is to Labour." She leaves the rest unsaid. She would very deeply rather not be around him [...] But she does not think that matters, placed against other considerations."
  85. ↑ Bring Cornelius to see her, Fallen London "[...] thanks to what you did to me back at the Hurlers. Your friends have their representation. And I'm never partnering with you again, Cornelius," [...]"
  86. ↑ Ask whether she would go back to a single face if she could, Fallen London ""This isn't what I chose for myself," [...] "But I've come to rely on those other voices, in the work I do now. I suppose..." [...] "I had hoped that after all this was over, when our city was built, and the Union no longer on the verge of splitting into factions, I would find a way to shed my other faces. [...] "
  87. ↑ Read the stone, Fallen London "You head past Furnace toward the stone. "Wait!" she shouts. In three voices? The command resonates. [...] Furnace Ancona [...] detonated a Hillmover and blown the Discordance Stone to a thousand tiny shards. [...] you would have known what was written there. And then we really would have been in trouble.""
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