Shuf

Shuf is known through places and institutions bearing his name rather than through direct description. Near the Concent of Saunt Edhar, a stone shell called “Shuf’s Dowment” stands by the coppice of page trees on the rise between the Decade and Century gates. Long seen as an ivy-snarled ruin, it has lately been fitted out inside and used quietly as a retreat.

First Appearance and Context

Shuf enters the narrative by way of the dowment associated with his name. Avout are shown spending time inside it; Fraa Arsibalt is encountered there reading from an ancient book handled with tongs, and he gives a brief tour of artifacts preserved from the dowment’s halcyon days (gold drinking-cups and jeweled book-covers kept under glass).

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

No direct actions by Shuf are recorded. A boundary wall near the coppice is credited to “Shuf’s Lineage” in local memory. The Reformed Old Faanians have adopted the dowment as a quiet hideaway; cabinet-maker avout have furnished its stone shell with wooden floors, paneled walls, shelving, and other comforts, and the order’s members make themselves comfortable there when unopposed.

Relationships

• Namesake institutions: Shuf’s Lineage (credited with a boundary wall) and Shuf’s Dowment (a refitted retreat near the coppice).
• Local figures: The site is frequented by Fraa Arsibalt during this period.

Descriptions/Characteristics

No personal description of Shuf has been provided. The dowment’s interior is now warm and comfortable: one great cubical room about ten paces square, with a hearth fire and a large bay window admitting northern light to a roomy alcove; books line the walls.

Current Status/Location

Shuf’s personal status is not stated. The dowment that bears his name stands near the coppice by the concent; inside it functions as a comfortably appointed retreat used by the Reformed Old Faanians.