Persuade Furnace

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ID: 240398

Spoiler warning! This page contains details about Fallen London Actions.

From: Debating Matters of Business with the Board

Furnace owes her allegiance to her Union – and all the factions within it.

Game Instructions: She is affected by obfuscation. Other branches in this story may help to confuse her.

Unlocked with Board Member: Furnace Ancona

Locked with Furnace Ancona's Vote

Challenge information

Broad, Persuasive 100

• 69 - very chancy (41%)
• 85 - chancy (51%)
• 102 - modest (61%)
• 119 - very modest (71%)
• 135 - low-risk (81%)
• 152 - straightforward (91%)
• 167 - straightforward (100%)
  

Base difficulty is 100, and increased by 40 per point of Board against Labour, and 20 per point of Board against Revolutionary Interests, Board against Urchin Interests, Board for the Fingerkings and Board against the University. Each point of Obfuscation of the Board reduces the difficulty by 40, also each point of Board against the Constables reduces it by 20 points. For a listing of observed difficulties for specific votes, expand the table below.

Question	Base Difficulty
1: Recommending a Route through Occupied Buildings	100
2: Proposing the Demolition of Unused Houses	520
3: Recommending a Route over Marshland	500
4: Recommending a Route through Plainsland	260
5: Recommending a Route through Hills	100
7: Recommending a Route across a Ravine	340
9: Recommending a Route through Wasteland	100
10: Proposing the Removal of His Amused Lordship	100
11: Proposing the Removal of the Efficient Commissioner	100
12: Proposing the Removal of the Jovial Contrarian	100
13: Proposing the Removal of Sinning Jenny	400
14: Proposing the Removal of Feducci	100
15: Proposing the Removal of Virginia	100
17: Proposing the Removal of the Dean of Xenotheology	240
18: Proposing the Removal of the Bishop of Saint Fiacre's	100
19: Proposing the Removal of the Bishop of Southwark	100
20: Proposing the Removal of the Tentacled Entrepreneur	100
21: Proposing the Removal of the Gracious Widow	100
22: Proposing the Removal of April	300
23: Proposing the Removal of the Wandering Gondolier	300
24: Proposing the Removal of September	300
26: Proposing the Removal of the Viscountess of the Viric Jungle	200
27: Proposing the Removal of the Rubbery Yes-Man	100
28: Proposing the Removal of the Hell-Scarred Gondolier	200
29: Proposing the Removal of Cornelius, the Bandaged Prehistoricist	300
30: Proposing the Removal of January	340
31: Proposing the Removal of the Wry Functionary	100
32: Proposing the Removal of the Delightful Reverend	100
33: Proposing the Removal of the Drummer	100
35: Proposing the Removal of the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner	80
37: Proposing the Removal of the Implacable Detective	0
100: Proposing a Station Plan	100
105: Proposing a Station Plan more like a Fortress	240
115: Proposing a Station Plan styled in the Manner of Hell	100
120: Proposing a Station Plan that Honours the Bazaar	300
130: Proposing a Station Plan that Speaks to the Glory of London and the Empress	240
140: Proposing a Station Plan Suited to Wasteland	100
150: Proposing a Station Plan Suited to a Surface Summer	100
160: Proposing an ice-resistant route and a well-insulated station	100
170: Proposing the connection to the final station at Marigold	100
181: Proposing a Tracklayers' City near Ealing Gardens	100
182: Proposing a Tracklayers' City near the Magistracy of the Evenlode	100
184: Proposing a Tracklayers' City near Station VIII	700
185: Proposing a Tracklayers' City near Burrow-infra-Mump	100
186: Proposing a Tracklayers' City somewhere between Moulin and Hurlers, as no one sensible wants that land at all	100
187: Proposing a Tracklayers' City near Marigold Station, under the walls of Hell	100
200: Recommending Better Defences for Each Train	200
205: Recommending Better (and Perhaps More Secret) Baggage Accommodations For Each Train	100
210: Recommending More Luxurious Fittings for Each Train	500
220: Recommending More Worker Compensation	100
230: Recommending Worker Co-ownership	100
240: Recommending the Strike be Broken	700
250: Requesting Funds to Excavate the Remains of a Prehistoric Creature	100
260: Suggesting the Union Pave Over a Prehistoric Creature	300
270: Requesting Funds to Route Around an Anomalous Section of London	160
280: Proposing to Drive the Track through the Zone	180
320: Proposing a Scientific Charter	100
400: Proposing to Pay Dividends to Shareholders (non-Worker charter)	500
400: Proposing to Pay Dividends to Shareholders (Worker charter)	100
500: Proposing a Bypass through Parabola	300
510: Proposing the Rental of Hellworms	100
520: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell	100
521: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following Feducci's Guidance	100
522: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following April's Guidance	0
523: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following Virginia's Guidance	100
525: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following the Bishop of Southwark's Guidance	100
526: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following His Amused Lordship's Guidance	200
527: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following the Wandering Gondolier's Guidance	100
528: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following Cornelius' Guidance	100
529: Proposing to Venture into the Former Battlefields Around Hell, following the Viscountess' Guidance	240
600: Proposing that the Board Endorse the Tentacled Entrepreneur for Lord Mayor	140
700: Proposing that the Unyielding Highlander become Castellan of Balmoral	400
710: Proposing that September become Castellan of Balmoral	100
720: Proposing that the Fervent Widow become Castellan of Balmoral	100
905: Proposing the Dean of Xenotheology as Patron of the Burrow Church	100
910: Proposing the Bishop of St Fiacre's as Patron of the Burrow Church	100
932: Supporting Cornelius' Prehistoricist Building Approach	100
933 - Supporting a Brightly-Lit Building Approach	100
934: Proposing a Package of Measures to Resume Normal Operations	500
940: Proposing special consideration to certain charitable groups	100
941: Proposing a dividend be paid out to the poor of the Hinterlands	100
1000: Proposing an expensive tribute to the Hillchanger Tower	100
1010: Proposing an inhuman tribute to the Hillchanger Tower	100
1020: Proposing a calendrical tribute to the Hillchanger Tower	0
1030: Proposing a legalistic tribute to the Hillchanger Tower	100
1100: Proposing to send your train to war in Parabola	100 (Cats, Visc.) 240 (FKs, Gent) 140 (Other)
1110: Proposing to build a spur line into Parabola so that you can send in a war-train	100
1200: Proposing a final extension of track	240

Success

She is convinced!

Her voice is hollow and there's an echo of laughter. But she will go along with you on this matter.

Description summary:
The text varies with the Question before the Board. The text above is the generic result; questions with more specific results are listed below.

[Find the rest of the story at https://www.fallenlondon.com]

Question	Description
1 - 2	"That route works as well as any other," she says. "We'll need protection from the noise of the explosions."
3	"Wetland […] Bad for the health and bad for morale. There's never anywhere to pitch a dry tent, and you wake up with your socks smelling of mildew. But it's true I don't see a way around it. […] The Tracklayers are not going to enjoy working there."
4	"I dislike places where the plant life is so highly motivated," Furnace says. "But we will wear boots."
5	"It will require more explosives but less protective clothing. Hard to say which will be easier on my people," she remarks, from within the dimness of her helmet.
7	Furnace observes that the alternatives would involve a much more circuitous route, and that her workers are accustomed to warm conditions: a plain reference to all she endured from Mr Fires.
9	Furnace nods. She seems a little preoccupied, as though her recent experiences are troubling her.
10	"Yes," she says. "A smaller and more focused board is immediately preferable."
11	"Yes," she says. "The Bazaar's interests are not our interests, and we should not allow ourselves to become confused." The word "confused" echoes angrily inside her helmet.
12	"Yes," she says. "Argument for the sake of argument is not bringing any clarity to these meetings."
13	"Yes, […] Sinning Jenny has her admirable sides, but she is deeply connected with Mr Wines and has half a dozen other secret affiliations I dare say she hasn't told us about. I would not trust her to declare all her views openly. Let her go."
14	"Yes," she says. "He is a particularly undesirable specimen." She is not, you think, referring to the bandages.
15	"Yes," she says. "We will be better placed to negotiate with Devils if we don't have them on our board."
17	"Yes," she says. "I confess I enjoy the Dean's stories and theories, but they are not always terribly pertinent."
18	"Absolutely," she says. "The Bishop of Saint Fiacre's is the sort who will come up with every kind of excuse in order to do a favour for a society friend, but never holds himself to the same standard when it comes to strangers."
19	"Yes," she says. "Southwark's monomania will not serve the railway well when we get closer to our destination."
20	"Yes," she says. "I have every sympathy for Rubbery Men, but the Tentacled Entrepreneur may not be able to achieve the liberation of his kind. He is the sort who asks for freedom."
21	[…] "In the abstract I respect her. To get where she is, after where she came from! But she would turn the Railway into an extension of her own empire. You cannot bring someone like her onto the board and expect to control what she does with it."
22	She is silent for a moment. "I wish it had not come to this. I would be proud to count our quiet board member as a particular ally. However, I can see..." There's some fervent whispering from […] Furnace Ancona's helmet. "I will vote with you," […]
23	"Oh, very well," she says. "He has an admirable interest in the wellbeing of his fellow Gondoliers, but he is very inexperienced."
24	"September is often more interested in the theory of freedom than in the practice," Furnace says. This is not a compliment.
26	"Please. I am sure that our Mayoral Kitten has other business she could be getting on with." Something in Furnace's helmet says, "Seconded."
27	"I'm surprised you're willing to part with him," says Furnace. "But I cannot say he has brought very much insight to the table so far."
28	"He does know what lies to the west […] knowledge that doesn't do us much good, if all he wants to speak about is marigolds[…] I asked him once if he'd seen […] he looked at me like I had a third– that's to say, he didn't seem to have considered the point."
29	"Aye," says Furnace Ancona. She meets no one's eye; she offers no comments. It's plain she'd rather be done with this vote and move on from it as quickly as possible.
30	"A Benthic Dean that runs a museum, wanting to overthrow the rich," says Furnace. "Not so much Revolution as a grudge match between those that already sit at the top. If you ask me."
31	Furnace gives a curt thumbs-up. "Hardest day of work he ever did was moving a stack of papers over to the next desk."
32	"Not such a bad sort for a Reverend," allows Furnace. "But it might be that there are others who could give us better advice."
33	"Even your garden-variety Devil isn't to be trusted," says Furnace. "Let alone the kind that does something to get itself canonised. Take it away, if you ask me."
35	"I don't want her telling my people that they have to give up their Lager of an evening. Only thing keeping them sane, out in the cold and dark."
37	"I won't miss her," says Furnace. "Suspicious woman." The Implacable Detective does seem to have done some research into Furnace's other faces, original name, and childhood family. Furnace has not forgiven her for it.
100	"It will do," […] "But I warn you, my Union can't do the gargoyles. Fancy stone-carving is not our calling, and you'd most likely get a creature with three eyes by accident." […] something about the sentence strikes her as infelicitous […]
105	Furnace considers the plans. "Some people might think it was too much," she says after a moment. "But I know what's out in that country, and you want thick walls. Thickest you can get."
115	Furnace contemplates the decorative goat-demons. "They look sillier in real life," she remarks. "Which is just what makes them so terrifying." Several other board members are looking her way. "Hurlers, […] you'll see for yourself soon enough."[…]
120	"It can be built," she says. "You'll need a lot of extra workers. Marble tiles aren't the Union's area of expertise."
130	"If you must," she says. "I assume someone on the Board is hoping for a Royal Commendation? Can't think why you 'd construct this folly for any other reason."
140	"Might be a dull building, but it looks like solid engineering, and you'll never catch me saying a word against that," she says.
150	"I'm for it," […] she's looking rather longingly at its humble shape. "Reminds me of some old pictures of my granddad's country," she says, when she catches you looking your way. "Made me sentimental for a tick." The tick (she implies) is now over.
160	Ancona inquires about allowances for fuel and heating, rules about exposure time, measures to counteract frostbite. In the end, she's satisfied with the plans. If she has her own feelings about laying track to the Hurlers, she's not letting on.
170	Furnace pauses for just a moment as though she might bring up some objection at the last minute. But no: she was just toying with you. She votes aye.
181	"Unreasonably close to London," Furnace says, sighing. "Fine. If this is the best we can get, we will prove that it can work."
182	"Aye," says Furnace's right face.
184	"I feel like we are being led into a trap," says Furnace. Her Liberationist voice scoffs. "But if we are, we will tear the cage to shreds."
185	"Not the location I would have chosen, but it will do."
186	"Aye," says Furnace's left face.
187	"Close to Hell," Furnace says. "Can't be worse than Spite, I suppose."
210	"I suppose this is why we laid the track," Furnace remarks. "So that Society ladies in tweed excursion skirts can have tea and biscuits on the train."
220	"It is the very least you can do," says Furnace. "The absolute bottom of the barrel as far as acceptable solutions go." There's gratitude for you.
230	"The Railway should be ours," she says. "It always should have been ours. We know the work. We know what it cost us."
240	"You have left me with no choice," she says. "But don't think I'm going to forgive you for that."
250	"I'm sure the site will prove informative," Furnace says. Her smile is lopsided. "Quite a few of my people want to know what all is buried in that spot."
260	"Certainly," says Furnace. "It would be a considerable expense to excavate." She spreads her hands on the table, stilling their tremor. Fear or relief?
270	"It will be the long way," Furnace says. "But it will raise the fewest questions."
280	"If you feel you have experts capable of it, then yes, untangling that block would be the most efficient way." […] She obviously knows that you are going to try your own hand at the work; […] she hasn't decided whether she thinks you're up to it.
300	"If we must," Furnace says. "There are other ways to charter the company, but I suppose this crew is here for its own enrichment."
310	"There are worse ideas," Furnace says. "The workers deserve consideration, but failing that..."
320, 340	"If we must," Furnace says. "There are other ways to charter the company, but I suppose this crew is here for its own advantage."
400	She insists on reviewing all the accounts and figures, but in the end, she agrees that the proposal is in accordance with the by-laws.
500	"If it spares my people having to dig through the side of a mountain, I am for it. People talk about the danger of going through Parabola, but there's a danger in tunnelling through Neath-rock, also […]"
510	"I don't mind avoiding Parabola," […] "You wouldn't believe how I appear there. It is an embarrassment." […] "In the dark, we won't look like anything at all," whispers someone. Furnace slams down the visor of her helmet. Conversation stops.
520 - 523, 525 - 529	"It'll do," says Furnace curtly. The further you go in this direction, the closer you get to places she would rather not remember. That must be it.
600	"What we wish to achieve cannot be done with an election […] might relieve some of the suffering of Rubbery Men. As for their work conditions – the Tracklayers' Union is open […] No boss can ever be trusted with the wellbeing of the labourer."
610	Furnace takes a deep breath, displeased. "Most of what we wish to do, we cannot hope to accomplish through an election. If you mean to nominate a cat with a noblewoman's title, perhaps that will make the folly of the process more obvious […]"
620	"Most of what we wish to do, we cannot hope to accomplish through an election," Furnace says. "F. F. Gebrandt is at least not a pawn of the Masters; […] That makes her my favourite of the candidates, if we must have […] a 'Lord Mayor'."
700	Furnace makes a number of remarks, in all her voices, on the topic of complicity with monarchist schemes. She will vote yea, but only for circumstantial reasons, and she cannot care for it.
710	"He's looking to the good of his own people," says Furnace. "Better him than someone installed by the Empress."
720	"Somewhat more friendly with the Bazaar than I'd like," comments Furnace. "But we might do worse."
905	"I have considerable faith in the Dean's abilities. She knows her limits best and I am not inclined to dispute with her." Across the table, the Dean looks down at her hands, a smile growing on her face.
910	"I'm sure His Grace knows his own mind," Furnace says. "Far be it from me to keep a man of the cloth from a church."
932	Furnace nods. She seems a little preoccupied, as though her recent experiences are troubling her.
940 - 941	Furnace nods. "I could hardly oppose helping the working people of the Hinterlands."
1000	Furnace nods. "It does not seem like a dangerous or unreasonable request. If we are imposing on its land, then we should do so with its permission, and on its terms."
1010, 1030	[…] "It does not seem like a dangerous or unreasonable idea. Though I do find the Tower a bit unnerving. Do we know enough about it? Does it change into other things? Is it secretly posing in London right now, disguised as the House of Chimes?" […]
1020	"Aye," says a voice from inside Furnace's helmet. You recognise the Liberationist voice by now. The other two mouths don't raise any actual objections, though.
1100, 1110	Furnace nods. Her liberationist voice gives a little cheer. "I think it best we explore all the possibilities our trains possess. And where better to do so than somewhere impossible?"
1200	Furnace nods. "Not keen on being better connected to London, but we can do with the supplies. There are things that aren't easy to ship in, otherwise."

Condition	Additional Description
Furnace is the last Uncommitted Member	There is a general air of relief that the matter is finally closed. The Board Secretary writes down the outcome triumphantly. Even the portrait over the door looks content.

• Persuasive is increasing…
• You've lost 1 x Uncommitted Board Members
•  Furnace Ancona will vote with you. (Sets Furnace Ancona's Vote to 1 - Furnace Ancona is on your side of this issue)

Redirects to: Debating Matters of Business with the Board

Failure

Unconvinced

[varies]

Description summary:
Text varies. See table below.

[Find the rest of the story at https://www.fallenlondon.com]

Question	First paragraph of Description
1 - 2, 932 - 934	You can't see Furnace Ancona's expression through the tiny window of her helmet, but from her statements, you have the impression she is not going to be easily won over.
3	"No," she says. "The swamp is so liquid that you can't pitch a tent. […]" She does not have an alternative in mind, not if you want to go through Jericho Locks. But Furnace would rather see you change the entire plan of the railway […].
4	"It's not 'a plain,'" says Furnace. "That sounds like it's a comfortable flatland. This is a plain covered by malignant grasses that want to drink the liquid out of your skin. Thank you, we would prefer a different route."
5	"The plains would be bad," says Furnace. "But the Monkprince Hills will need clearing with explosives. When you blow open those barrows... I don't care for the thought of it much."
7	It must be difficult to make such an undertaking truly safe.
9	"My people don't like that territory," […] "They think I'm too much in the pocket of the GHR as it is. […] […] the Board Secretary gives her a sympathetic look. "Ungrateful varmints," he says. "Owe you better than that, don't they?" […]
10	"We welcome as many voices on the Board as possible," says Furnace. There's a knowing chuckle elsewhere in the room.
11	"I'm sure the Efficient Commissioner is providing valuable wisdom about safety," says Furnace. You would expect the words to be sarcastic, but the intonation is not.
12	"The Jovial Contrarian is able to see every side of a point of view," says Furnace. "That's a useful quality. It helps avoid breaking into factions." She would know: the Tracklayers' Union has its share of divergent views.
13	"Jenny is a woman who gets things done," says Furnace. "I don't think there's much in the Neath that would frighten her. I've questioned her ties to Mr Wines. But I doubt she's at the beck and call even of the Masters."
14	"I appreciate someone who is willing to take the argument outside," Furnace says. "I try to avoid that solution, but sometimes it's the only one that gets results."
15	"It's a question of evils," says Furnace slowly. "I don't know that we're going to get this railway built if we don't have at least one Devil on the board. And if we have to have one, there are some much, much worse Devils to have. Or Devilesses."
17	"Do you find the Dean ineffectual?" asks Furnace. "I would advise against underestimating someone like that. She may tell long stories, but they usually do have a point. Sometimes a very important one."
18	"I've heard the Bishop of Saint Fiacre's called two-faced," she says. "And I wouldn't want that to be used as a reason to remove someone. Being able to appreciate a few sides of the situation does not make you dishonest. It makes you effective."
19	"The good Bishop of Southwark says what he means and means what he says," […] "What's more, he hasn't yet shown me his favourite wrestling lock. We were speaking about how best to deal with Devils, and he promised me a demonstration."
20	"The Tentacled Entrepreneur is an entity of business," Furnace says. 'And what I have heard of his factories... it is hard for me to be sure how he treats his people. But he's no Mr Fires, either."
21	[…] "Under another regime, she would be a legitimate businesswoman. She's no worse than most of the Masters – on the contrary, she's far more principled. It's merely a question of who currently has permission to extract the tariffs."
22	"Our note-taking friend is brilliant," says Furnace simply. "A mind of the first order, and very solid against the schemes of the Masters. I would sooner lose almost anyone else from the Board."
23	[…] "Yes, perhaps he is young; perhaps he doesn't bring much money into the operation; maybe he doesn't have society friends to call upon when we need an infusion of new funds. But he is familiar with lands that most of us have never even seen."
24	"September is making a place for his people," says Furnace. "Maybe not exactly how I would go about it, but I have to respect the endeavour. And he's not wrong about Mr Pages, either."
26	"I vote no," says Furnace. "It's a wise idea to have the sitting Mayor's support for the company, even if I don't agree with all she thinks or does. It clears away a lot of obstacles that would be harder otherwise."
28	"He's seen so much of the Neath," says Furnace. "I think it would be a mistake not to keep him. Though..." She pauses. "It wouldn't hurt him to prattle a little less about Hurlers. I've had enough of that place for three lifetimes."
29	[…] "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 even for the duration of a board meeting. But she does not think that matters […]
30 - 33, 35	"I vote no," says Furnace. "We all do."
100, 105, 115, 140, 150	"You want us to build that?" she asks. "That is far too much effort for something so hideous."
120	"It's hideous," she says. "It's an offence to every hungry person that lives in the Hinterlands, and an eyesore to anyone who's got eyes, on top of that. And your artist here has put in a type of stone that can't even be quarried down here […]
130	"Isn't there enough of this nonsense in London? Do we need to export it all over the Neath?"
160, 170	Ancona makes a reasoned argument against the station's heating plans; expresses concerns about frostbite and exposure; doubts the safety of running locomotives over icy ground. She carefully avoids expressing any personal preferences […] but votes "no."
181	"Ridiculous. We went through all this to get away from London, not live in one of its suburbs."
182	"No, that site won't do," Furnace sighs. "Trade unions and police don't mix."
184	"Absolutely not," says Furnace. "Don't think I don't see what you're attempting," says her left face with no small amount of venom.
185	"It's not the worst place, but we could do better. Much better."
186	Furnace's left face starts to say something, but the right face shushes it. "No. Not there."
187	"Don't take us for fools," says Furnace. "Being an appendage of Hell is no worse than being subjugated by London."
200	"The last thing we need is extra guards," […] "The Tracklayers are already coerced enough. […] When other members […] point out that this would not be the purpose of the guards, Furnace snorts so loudly that the sound reverberates in her helmet.
205	"If this is meant to carry goods in secret, we may be causing ourselves more trouble than it's worth." She has no special enthusiasm for the Masters and their tariffs, but she regards this as inviting trouble for no very great gain.
210	On being presented with the drawing of an upholstered carriage-bench […] "I would have thought it was enough to have a signboard for destinations. We don't need to lavish so much expense on letting people know it is headed to Hell."
220	"By rights, the Union would own the Railway […] By rights, no one sitting here would have a piece of anything that they did not build with their own hands." […] is that an acknowledgement that the tracks come from your laboratory […]?
230	"It is what I would usually fight for – exactly what I would usually advocate – but in the circumstances..." She trails off, confused. "No, I cannot vote in favour."
240	"Never," she says. "You will never have my agreement to that policy. It would be a complete betrayal of everything I stand for."
250, 270	"There are many better ways that money could be spent," Furnace says "Have we discussed the matter of wages recently? Hazard pay for working in dangerous areas? Food allowances? A stipend for the purchase of long undergarments?"
260	"I recognise the efficiency of the scheme," she says. "But it is a pity from a scientific perspective."
280	"A mistake could be very dangerous," says Furnace Ancona. "I've laid track through dangerous places before. People are extremely willing to send the Tracklayers through places they wouldn't send a cat they liked. I won't stand by for it again."
300 - 320, 340	"We ought to create the Company as a worker-owned cooperative," says Furnace. "The Tracklayers have a natural right to own what they create." No other terms appeal to her.
400	"What Dividends do you mean to pay to the workers?" asks Furnace. "What repayments are you planning to offer their families?"
500	"What makes you think we can drive a train through Parabola and bring it out again without acquiring some very undesirable passengers? Are you planning to keep a crew of Silverers aboard?"
510	"I hope you intend to supply a staff of Monster-Hunters," says Furnace. "My people are not trained to handle a beast like that." "Just make sure they all have helmets," says someone else in the room. There's a tense silence.
520, 521, 523, 525 - 529	"It's a terrible idea. We'll all be killed." She drums her fingers on the table and if you could see her faces you are certain they would all be scowling.
610	"I have already said why the Tracklayers do not favour her Most Feline Holiness the Right Honourable Viscountess Jungle," Furnace says. "But I am willing to explain again. The work of Revolution involves a great deal of repetition."
700	"I didn't come to this board to be embroiled in monarchist schemes," she says.
710	"September means well," says Furnace. "But is he too unpredictable? Revolution is long slow work."
720	"I cannot favour her," says Furnace. "Though she is not as bad as the Unyielding Highlander."
905	"We still have need of the Dean's attention here," she says, "I cannot suggest that we overwork people. It is a question of priorities and the railway must come first."
910	"We still have need of the Bishop's attention here," she says, "I cannot suggest that we overwork people. It is a question of priorities and the railway must come first."
940	Furnace asks for details on the specifics – do they mean to move cargo or passengers? What sort of cargo? Where? Who finances these organisations?
941	Furnace asks for details on the specifics – what qualifies as 'poor'? Will members of the Tracklayers' Union also receive this benefit? Is this simply papering over broader injustices?
1000, 1010, 1030	Furnace hesitates. "I don't know whether we can trust the tower. Do we understand its terms and intentions?"
1100, 1110	Furnace confers with herself before answering. "Are we sure we should be getting involved? You may have been invited to enter the War, but the Board has not."
1200	"The whole point was to prevent London breathing on the back of our neck," she says. "I don't fancy giving them an easy way in."

Other Votes	Second paragraph of Description
Virginia	Virginia asks whether this is Furnace's final answer, or whether there is anyone else inside Furnace's helmet that would like a vote. Furnace invites Virginia to perform a number of anatomically impossible experiments upon herself. […]
(other)	The Board Secretary dutifully minutes the objection, attributing it to 'Ancona, B.' He is too fastidious to use Furnace's nickname.

• Persuasive is increasing…

Redirects to: Debating Matters of Business with the Board