"L.B. Industries is a factory which fell with London, and then fell a little further. Inaccessible to Londoners, it was taken over by Rattus Faber. Ratty generations later, they still run the place, producing cotton and steel to trade with London, and weapons reserved for their own kind."[1]
L.B. Industries is an old London factory that was buried in debris during the Fall. It was forgotten by all except a band of Rattus Faber, who took advantage of the legal principle of adverse possession to claim and begin operating the factory.[2] They were finally discovered beneath the Blind Helmsman during the Grand Clearing-Out;[3] some of the equipment had been modified over the years to better suit the rat workforce, but the factory is now able to hire human workers to speed up the production of cotton, steel, and rodent weaponry.[4]
"Vast machinery wheezes and steams; heavy metal thumps and crushes; pipes rattle and squeal. It differs from a London factory only slightly: long levers give the rats sufficient force to work human-sized controls and pulleys are as much a mode of transport as part of the workings."[5]
The Grizzled Gaffer is one of the older and more experienced fore-rats at the factory, judging by his white snout.[6] He is a nostalgic little creature[7] who happily jokes around with human visitors as they entertain the younger rats.[8]
The Masterly Machinist is an enormous golden-brown rat with a mind for tinkering.[9] He is particularly concerned with the well being of his workers, and has ensured that no one in the factory goes hungry.[10] His wife is the boss of L.B. Industries.[11]
The Eager Engineer is a brave and talented young fore-rat,[12] and the daughter of the Masterly Machinist and his wife.[13][14] Her father is immensely encouraging of her career.[15]
↑"Welcome to L.B. Industries!", Fallen London"L.B. Industries is a factory which fell with London, and then fell a little further. Inaccessible to Londoners, it was taken over by Rattus Faber. Ratty generations later, they still run the place, producing cotton and steel to trade with London, and weapons reserved for their own kind."
↑Head Far Beneath the Blind Helmsman, Fallen London"Following the tunnel leads to an old London factory – one that fell deeper than the rest of the city when it was pulled into the Neath. In the dust and chaos, it was forgotten by all but the Rattus Faber. They claim that, under the legal principle of adverse possession, it is now theirs."
↑Find out what's below (The Blind Helmsman), Fallen London"The tunnel breaks through a wall into a fully-functioning factory! Furnaces and machine tools all around. Antiquated; perhaps as old as the Fall of London. But they've been maintained; some even have modernising modifications."
↑"Welcome to L.B. Industries!", Fallen London"L.B. Industries is a factory which fell with London, and then fell a little further. Inaccessible to Londoners, it was taken over by Rattus Faber. Ratty generations later, they still run the place, producing cotton and steel to trade with London, and weapons reserved for their own kind."
↑Your Labour, and its Fruits, Fallen London"Vast machinery wheezes and steams; heavy metal thumps and crushes; pipes rattle and squeal. It differs from a London factory only slightly: long levers give the rats sufficient force to work human-sized controls and pulleys are as much a mode of transport as part of the workings."
↑The Grizzled Gaffer, Fallen London"A white-snouted rat, hunched with age, works slowly and methodically on the controls of what might once have been a loom."
↑Accept old coins as a reward, Fallen London"The Grizzled Gaffer twitches his whiskers […] "That brings back memories. I used to dig them up all the time, run a string through them and haul them back here." He nods at the Fore-Rat. "Her predecessor thought they'd come in handy. They might, still.""
↑Accept a reverent thanks for your labour, Fallen London""Oh, should I have asked?" The […] Gaffer peers up at you as you accept the reliquary. "You one of the religious types, what wants to baptise us?" He shakes his head. "I don't hold with this kind of idolatry, but it makes some of the young ones happy.""
↑The Masterly Machinist, Fallen London"A rat the size and colour of a loaf of bread has his head immersed in a toolbox. As you watch, he withdraws an implement and immediately sets to connecting wires on an ancient-looking spinning mule."
↑Receive your pay in biscuits, Fallen London"The Masterly Machinist […]. When you receive your crate of biscuits, he nods in approval. "A healthy body, a healthy worker." A rat in the queue behind you snickers. The Machinist spins to face them. "Well, have you known a single rat here go hungry?""
↑The Masterly Machinist, Fallen London"The Fore-Rat scampers to a sheet on the wall, where she scratches a mark in a column. She looks down at her paws, briefly bashful. "That's my 'usband that is. Can't go wrong working with 'im. Lovely chap. Very skilled. Very kind.""
↑The Eager Engineer, Fallen London"A small, bright-eyed, black rat scampers along the gantry. She runs along the very edge, clearly unconcerned by the drop."
↑Make bobbins, Fallen London""Stand down," the Masterly Machinist nods to the white rat. "We'll get this one to take over here." He shoos the white rat away. "I'm sure you've someone you'd rather spend time with." The Machinist doesn't wait till he's out of earshot to add. "He has a soft spot for my daughter.""
↑The Eager Engineer, Fallen London"The Fore-Rat trots to a sheet on the wall, where she scratches a mark in a column. "I think she's too young, but she's passed all the tests and her dad says she's a prodigy. Prodigy!" She twitches her nose at you. "We'll see. Might be more 'n you can handle but it's your choice.""
