Alsi Norr
Alsi Norr is the kind of presence that makes the deck feel steadier just by standing on it. She’s not one for titles—“Stewmother” of the The Barge Assembly was a name given, not claimed—but the bargefolk of Salve know her as the one who gets things done when things get hard. Thick around the waist, windburned in the cheeks, and always wearing a heavy apron with too many pockets, Alsi tends to the needs of the community in a myriad of small and slow-burning ways: she patches up frayed rope bridges, remembers who lost what to last week’s disasters, and makes sure no kid goes home without something in their bowl.
She oversees the Stewboat tradition, yes—but her deeper work is in listening between the words. Alsi mediates without ever raising her voice, nudging conversations back from the edge with a glance or an offer to walk the planks. She has a knack for getting stubborn people to do what they were already halfway to deciding.
Alsi doesn’t sit in formal hearings, but she’s consulted before nearly every one. She knows the undercurrents—the small grudges, the quiet kindnesses—and keeps the social glue warm on the stovetop, even when the city runs cold.
Warm, Grounded, Trustworthy
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