In Curse Of Strahd, Ghalwin had a regular day of patrol until Ylyana sent Shakti on a quest to fulfill a prophecy alongside Jarmo. She demanded that Ghalwin stay in the safety of the enclave, but he secretly defied her orders and set off with Shakti and Jarmo on top of Snickerdoodle. Through the Vanishing Grove, they wandered through the mists into the dread realm of Barovia, where souls could never return.
They quickly came into contact with the Vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich, who nearly killed them all before Jarmo successfully begged for their lives. Swearing to defeat Strahd and return to their homeland, the group began calling themselves the Pack after adopting a stray Dog named Lancelot, who Ghalwin developed a special bond with. They were accompanied by the noblewoman Ireena Kolyana, who Strahd obsessed over, and looked to bring her to safety from the Village of Barovia.
Ghalwin swore an oath to protect the ancients of Barovia, adopting the title name "Ghalwin of the Grove". At Tser Pool, he underwent a Tarokka Deck reading that told him vague descriptions of items and allies that would be needed to defeat Strahd. In this reading, he learned that to protect the land, his fate was to slay an agent of Strahd corrupting Berez. After this, he began being contacted by a mysterious being called Yrrga, the Eye of Shadows. Yyrga aided him in combating the many threats plaguing the realm; though he did not know her aim, she provided protections against harm, stronger sight in darkness, and gave him visions to follow.
Adventuring through this land lead to many hardships for Ghalwin, and he narrowly avoided several near-death experiences as he made his way to Vallaki. Once in the town, he found out the identity of the famed monster hunter Rudolph van Richten, a fated ally indicated in their prophecy. The Pack assisted in saving Saint Andral's Orphanage from a deceitful Shadow Demon, learned the secrets of the Keepers of the Feather, and became an ally of the noble Vallakovich and Wachter families; from the latter, Ghalwin also developed his first-ever intimate relationship with the drunk nobleman Karl Wachter. Shakti simultaneously did the same with Nikolai Wachter II, but contrary to Ghalwin, did not develop any feelings for him.
van Richten joined them in a quest to find the bones of Lugdana Andral, as their removal from Saint Andral's Church had unconsecrated the land. This investigation hastened an insidious plot already in motion, ending with Vampire Spawn tearing through the streets of Vallaki and the arrival of Strahd within the Vallaki Town Square. Ghalwin could only watch as Strahd kidnapped Ireena and removed Jarmo's Dreamweave Circlet, turning his best friend to stone. van Richten fled the scene, but left a note that the party could find him at Khazan's Tower; they also found that van Richten had been training a Saber-Toothed Tiger, who they adopted and named Shredder.
During this disaster, The Pack were supported by a powerful and wise cleric, Atlas Atruvian. Atlas taught him to deal with the tragic loss, and began accompanying them on their quests. While traveling west, Ghalwin learned to channel aid from his vow to the ancients, who took the form of a mystical Elk he named Verity. He learned that the Wizard of Wines had been overtaken by Blights and dark druids, and he assisted in driving them out of the Martikov's ancestral home. The forest-folk had stolen their last Gemstone of Life Growth, a gift to the family from the Ladies Three, which caused the vineyards to grow barren. Recognizing that the Ladies may be the ancients he swore his vow to, Ghalwin promised to retrieve all three of the family's stolen stones.
They went to Yester Hill, where Ghalwin found the Plant Slayer "Feller" from the base of a Gulthias Tree. He and The Pack chopped down Wintersplinter in a near-deadly battle and destroyed the presence of the druids there. Despite the triumph, Ghalwin believed that he did not know enough about these lands to protect his sister, who was following a vision left by her father, Jaghr of the Longtooth. To bridge this, he made a formal warlock pact with Yrrga, gaining darkvision, a form of shadowy dread, and limited Truesight beyond mortal ken. This bloody transformation cost him his eyes, replaced by inverted earth-green pupils with irises of starry blackness. He also let Shredder go, realizing that charming her solely for combat purposes went against his vow to protect nature.
Delivering wine to Krezk, The Pack found the Tome of Strahd at the bottom of Saint Markovia's Pool, the first item needed to defeat Strahd. They also met The Abbot at the Abbey of Saint Markovia, a crazed preacher who promised three miracles in exchange for a traditional Barovian wedding dress. Through Yrrga's power, Ghalwin saw that the man was actually a corrupted Deva, so agreed to the request despite his misgivings about The Abbot's plan. There, they also met the protege of van Richten, Ezmerelda D'Avenir, and the famed monster hunter agreed to travel with the group.
At this point, Yrrga's power began having a notable effect on Ghalwin's mood, occasionally taking over his body or unleashing blasts of power that harmed both foes and friends. She began to exert influence over Ghalwin, demanding that he release her from the Amber Temple, but the paladin continually fought off her attempts; this occasionally caused permanent harm to his body, sapping him of his strength.
They went to Khazan's tower and rescued van Richten from a Werewolf attack led by Kiril Stoyanovich; after defeating them, they learned he may have been distantly related to Shakti. Kiril proposed that Shakti travel alone with him to the Werewolf Den to meet the spirit of her father, but Ghalwin went against the decision, believing it would put her in too much harm.
After a heated discussion with van Richten, an incensed Ezmerelda left the group to explore Argynvostholt, while the rest of The Pack went back to Vallaki to clean up their loose ends. With the help of Muriel Vinshaw, they rescued Arabelle and returned her to the Vistani Camp, making allies of the Vistani there as well as Kasimir Velikov. They then defeated the Night Hags of Old Bonegrinder, setting up a new base for the Keepers of the Feather.
Vallaki was a town at the edge of revolution, and The Pack participated in the Riots Of The Blazing Sun, allowing Fiona Wachter to take control of the town. Ghalwin personally protected Lydia Petrovna and allowed her to escape on Verity, eventually resulting him becoming a wanted man in Vallaki. They could not stay to defend the town or their good names, however, as Atlas learned through sending magic that both Muriel and Ezmerelda were in danger. Forced to make a choice, they knew Muriel was closer and actively in danger, so rode to Berez. On the way, they had to leave their wagons and Lydia Petrovna, and Ghalwin assigned Lancelot to guard her.
Disaster awaited them in the mire. Baba Lysaga kept Muriel in her Creeping Hut, and Ghalwin approached with confidence to draw the swamp-witch out. He immediately offended her by invoking the poems of the Ladies Three, and she attacked with ferocity, immediately casting a powerful Spell to blast the paladin's mind. The Creeping Hut, let loose in the marsh, brought low an exposed Atlas in a matter of seconds, and Shakti was ousted from the hut before being trapped in a cloud of poisonous gas. van Richten begged Ghalwin to escape on Verity and use The Abbot's miracles to revive them, and a tearful Ghalwin realized it was the best option.
He took van Richten's Ring of Mind Shielding and fled, internally despairing at leaving The Pack to die. Yrrga made a final last stand, attempting to fully control her consort's body. Against all odds, Ghalwin resisted her pull, and invoked the powers of the Ladies Three to drive her out permanently. He broke their pact at the cost of his eyes; as he faded from consciousness in the swamps, he saw Shredder appear and take him to safety. Over days, Shredder and Verity defended Ghalwin en route to Kasimir's hovel at the Vistani Camp.