Furio was born in Talune to a merchant prince named Giuseppe and his wife Maria. He spent his youth listening to sailors when he wasn't in school. He loved both equally. As an adult, he worked for his father, using his shrewd understanding of the world to bring in big profits and keep people happy. He lived an busy but not uncomfortable life. When his father died, he took over the family business. He married a woman named Alloro. He had two sons. They grew up, and the elder took to the family business with skill and eagerness. The younger took to trouble, though, and soon, he was serving hard time in a prison in Kerupen. Furio traveled to try to pull some strings, but by the time he arrived, his son, Giuseppe (named for Furio's father) had escaped. Furio was upset. He resolved to find his son and set him straight.

Across two continents, Furio raced the authorities and fortune to find his son. Finally, after three years of travel, he found himself in Idangar in a dirty inn off the beaten track. A letter came for him, telling him his wife had fallen ill. He dropped everything to go home, only to find the letter was months old and his wife was dead for weeks by the time he got back. He resolved to spend what time he had left with the family he still had, and he settled in to a life of retirement watching his grandchildren.

Five years passed. Furio grew comfortable, though he still worried for his erstwhile son. Then, a woman arrived claiming to be Giuseppe's lover. She carried two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was named Furio, the girl Gloria. Furio, without hesitation, brought them into his family. His elder son, Giovanni, did not trust the girl, but Furio simply did not care.

Then word came from Giuseppe, begging his father to come to him. He was in a Ranic monastery, and he had found peace. Furio wrote back that he would come with his son's children and lover. Giovanni objected once more, but Furio would have none of it. On the voyage over, though, a storm struck. Gloria was lost to the sea. Young Furio della Tornare fell ill, and their mother took up with a sailor. Furio was angry, and a fight ensued that ended with his being marooned in the Island Bridge.

He struggled his way through it, though, and after another three years, he came to the monastery by the mountain where his son Giuseppe had written from. Before he could see his son, he heard the Mountain speak. The words were unknown to him, but they reached into his soul. The turmoil there died instantly, and he found within him a moment of perfect calm. He went to the doors of the monastery and asked if he could join them.

Immediately, he was brought in. He was inducted into the Listeners at the Mountain within six months. His son, Giuseppe, became his master. Word came, eventually, that Giovanni needed assistance with the business. Furio knew Giuseppe had grown wise and shrewd, and so he asked his son if he might be the one to help his brother. Giuseppe agreed, while Furio remained behind.

Ten years passed. The effects of Listening slowed Furio's aging, and he became a wise and skilled monk. Giuseppe sent word that the business was doing well, and that he had decided to stay and help. Word came, then, from Young Furio. His mother was dead, but he had found his sister, Gloria. The elder Furio got permission, and he set out to help his grandson...

On his journey with him are Potamaki Altis and a stranger who often visits the monastery, a man called The Hardfoot.