GERDA

**Affinity Tales**

• Gerda named the Frozen paw after her best friend, a Mauler girl she really cares about. Her friend in turn, runs the Brown Paw Clothier back in her hometown, kind of a nod to their friendship.

• Gerda's all about peace—totally against conflict, which makes her kinda rare among the Maulers. Some thought she was weak, but her fists made them rethink that fast.

• "Combat training? Nah, I don't do that kind of stuff," Gerda said, as if it were no big deal, after knocking a troublemaker into the wall with one punch. "I'm just naturally stronger than most."

• After leaving her clan, Gerda ended up stranded in Cedartown because of the snow. And what did she think of the local food? Well, it was good enough that she decided to stick around permanently.

• Gerda loves her pies with mushroom soup—so much that she's basically the restaurant's best customer. She can knock back five portions in one sitting without breaking a sweat.

• Gerda emptied her coffers to buy a small, struggling hot spring inn. By the second year, the Frozen Paw had become the go-to holiday retreat in Whiteridge.

• "Madam Gerda? She's not just beautiful, generous, and meticulous—there's something more beneath it all. I speak from the heart when I say she understands people in ways few do," remarked Lorsan, an employee at the Frozen Paw.

• The ladle Gerda always carries is no ordinary tool. Crafted by her Mauler friend from the wood of her homeland, it is adorned with intricate tribal patterns, each line telling a story of roots and tradition.

• A local once witnessed Gerda with nothing but her bare hands, send a snow wolf careening down a mountain. Since that moment, the creatures that once stalked the area have vanished&mash;no one can say why, but the guests of the inn now rest easy.

• They say the hot spring pool used to be a lot smaller. It was Gerda who found the new springs and made it what it is today.