Ghalwin Forrester

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 Demirealm 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. Exhausted and frightened, they unknowingly ambled to the Death House of the Village of Barovia, called to action by the apparitions of Rose and Thornboldt Durst. In the house, they uncovered the mysteries of the Durst family, and Ghalwin was again nearly killed by a Shambling Mound of human refuse; he only survived by stabbing dead the baby Walter Durst at its core, an act which would stick with him for the rest of his life.

Swearing to defeat Strahd and return to their homeland, the group began calling themselves the Pack after adopting a stray Dog named Lancelot in the house, who Ghalwin developed a special bond with. Ghalwin swore an oath to protect the ancients of the Realm, adopting the title name "Ghalwin of the Grove". At the behest of the new-burgomaster Ismark Kolyanovich, they were accompanied by the noblewoman Ireena Kolyana, who Strahd obsessed over, and looked to bring her to safety in the walled city of Vallaki.

In the Vistani encampment at Tser Pool, Ghalwin underwent a Tarokka Deck reading from Madam Eva that told him vague descriptions of items and allies the Pack could use to defeat Strahd. In this reading, he learned that to protect the land, his fate was to slay an agent of Strahd corrupting a ruined village south of Vallaki. As they made their way up the Old Svalich Road, they encountered the "Bonerider", who Ghalwin would encounter several times over the adventure; the Skeleton left behind a Bag of Holding, and Ghalwin began being contacted by a mysterious being called Yrrga, the "Eye of Shadows". Though he did not know her true aim, Yrrga provided protections against harm, stronger sight in darkness, and frequently 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, including avoiding the Hags of Old Bonegrinder thanks to warnings from the Wereraven Laszlo Lazarescu. Once in the town's walls, they purchased goods from Gadof Blinsky, Gunther and Yelena Arasek, and the Martikov family; at the latter's Blue Water Inn, they met and found out the identity of the famed Doctor 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 unlike her brother, did not develop any feelings.

Doctor van Richten joined them in a quest to find the bones of Saint Lugdana Andral, as their removal from Saint Andral's Church had unConsecrated the churchland. 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. They decided to help Fiona Wachter, who sought revenge after Viktor Vallakovich had broken the mind of her daughter Stella Wachter. 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 hill-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 gemstones.

Alongside Davian Martikov, the Pack went to Yester Hill, where Ghalwin found the Plant Slayer "Feller" from the base of a Gulthias Tree and Shakti found her prophesized Blood Spear. They 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 met with the Krezkov family and 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 was creating Mongrelfolk and Flesh Golems in a belief he could heal Strahd. The Abbot promised three miracles in exchange for a traditional Barovian wedding dress for Vasilka von Holtz, a creation he planned to marry to the Count. Through Yrrga's truesight, Ghalwin saw that the man was actually a corrupted Deva, so agreed to the request despite his misgivings about The Abbot's plan. Atop the Abbey, his sight also revealed van Richten's protégé Ezmerelda D'Avenir, and the famed monster hunter agreed to travel with the group for a time.

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. The Dark Power 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. Narrowly avoiding death by a Roc hunting on a low-mist day, they went to Khazan's tower intending to reunite with van Richten, and ended up rescuing him from a Werewolf attack led by Kiril Stoyanovich. After defeating the werewolf pack, they learned Kiril was distantly related to Shakti. He 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. At the Vistani Camp, Ghalwin interrupted the Captain Luvash from punishing Alexei for losing his daughter Arabelle, but avoided an incident himself by promising to save her. With the help of Muriel Vinshaw, they rescued Arabelle and returned her to the Camp, making allies of the vistani there as well as their prisoner, the dusk Elf Kasimir Velikov. They then defeated the Night Hags of Old Bonegrinder, setting up a new base for the Keepers of the Feather and achieving some sense of solace for past weaknesses.

Vallaki was a town at the edge of revolution, and The Pack participated in stoking this. They raided the Vallaki Burgomaster's Mansion for clues, with Ghalwin finding the secret mirror containing Tasha Petrovna with his truesight. They ultimately were complicit in the Riots Of The Blazing Sun, allowing Fiona to take control of the town while Viktor and Vargas Vallakovich were slain. 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.

The blinded Ghalwin recovered in the hovel of the dusk elf Kasimir Velikov, hidden at the Vistani Camp while Fiona Wachter's searchers combed the valley for the Pack. The two bonded over wine and lamented their failed protections of Shakti and Patrina Velikovna, but where Kasimir sank into despair, Ghalwin chose to answer his grief with work. He healed the sick and wounded of the camp, sent word of his survival to the Keepers of the Feather through the Ravens that watched him, and spent long nights in conversation with the soul of Rudolph van Richten, still bound to the Ring of Mind Shielding. Arabelle visited him in secret, and Alexei, the swordsman he had once shielded from Luvash's whip, taught him to fight without sight. Over months of training, Ghalwin learned to read the world through his other senses. He wove a dreamcatcher for his lost friends and renewed his vow in the Svalich Woods, and the hoop rose on a gale and vanished into the mist. The Ladies Three answered by opening Barovia to him as a small radius of blindsight and by granting Pip Squeak speech and sentience.

When the return of the lost Captain Zandros threw the camp into an uproar, Ghalwin left with Verity, Pip, and van Richten's ring, promising Kasimir that he would one day take him to the Amber Temple. At the Raven River Crossroads he charged into a Wolf ambush and recognized its leader, Kiril Stoyanovich, by blindsense; "the Ravager" called off his pack at the sight of the man who had tortured him. The travelers he had saved were Mormeros Fayan, Ajuni Elajoral, and Tobias Villie Broadnose Cogsmith atop his Steel Defender Geronimo, outsiders trapped in Barovia by a betrayal of their own. They distrusted one another at first, but van Richten urged Ghalwin to be open, and he shared everything he knew about Strahd, the tarokka readings, and the Ladies Three; the group shared their own fates of betrayal by Zandros and narrow avoidance of death by Roc thanks to the Lady of the Mountain.

At the Wizard of Wines, Ghalwin spoke with the Ghost in Tasha Petrovna's mirror while the Martikovs sheltered the party. Tobias reworked his armor and built a tiny suit of plate for Pip, and the paladin taught the gnome to forage in return. A prank by Mormeros on the road prompted Ghalwin to confess his past relationship with Yrrga and the Dark Powers to the group. In Krezk, he delivered Lydia Petrovna's wedding dress to the Abbot but held onto the three miracles he was owed. Ilya Krezkov, whom the Abbot had raised from the dead, turned out to house an All-Consuming Hunger, and the fight to stop him cost Ajuni her arm and ended with a mob beating Anna Krezkova to death. Ghalwin held back from intervening and tended to the wounded farmer Eugenija Fidatovna, who begged the party to lift the mists before midwinter or her village would starve. Afterward he found kinship with Ajuni in their shared disabilities and half-siblings, and the two agreed to teach each other languages: Celestial for Sylvan.

At Argynvostholt, Ghalwin climbed the tower and rescued Ezmerelda D'Avenir from her necromantic stasis. He later gave her van Richten's ring, and after a bitter argument she put it on and made peace with her mentor. A failed confrontation with Vladimir Horngaard ended only when Ajuni bound herself to Delban to save them, and they made their way to Castle Ravenloft to reconsecrate the body of Argynvost. At the castle, Strahd told Ghalwin plainly over dinner that he wished to destroy the paladin for poisoning "Tatyana" against him, while thanking him for ridding him of Vargas Vallakovich. The party destroyed Strahd's Heart of Sorrow and escaped with Argynvost's skull, using a Portal in Strahd's brazier room to teleport back to Argynvostholt. Ghalwin and Tobias swore the Order of the Silver Dragon's Oath before Sir Godfrey Gwilym, who knighted them as the last two members of his Order.

The Lighting Of The Silver Beacon freed Vladimir, who passed on and left them the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. They waited there for Ezmerelda, attempting to shore up the mansion's defenses as they made it their home base, the "Fortress of Silver Dawn." However, Strahd arrived first; Ghalwin fought beside Tobias and drove the Count back, but Strahd cut down Verity and charmed the paladin, and only Ajuni's ice and Geronimo's grip kept Ghalwin from being turned into a spawn himself. Mormeros gave himself fully to his own Dark Power, Ten-Zras, to break the charm and buy the others time, and Ghalwin mourned another friend lost.

The team reunited with Lydia and Lancelot at the witch's coven house in Berez and were joined by Izek Strazni, who had fled Vallaki and became a member of the hill-folk. Together, they entered the swamps and hunted Baba Lysaga. Her word of power stunned Ghalwin again, and he came face to face with the animated corpse of his sister, woven into a Scarecrow alongside Atlas and van Richten. Tobias tore the Gemstone of Life Growth from Lysaga's hut, Izek pinned her to the swamp floor with Horngaard's greatsword, and Ghalwin severed her head. The remains of the Pack were recovered and buried at Argynvostholt, where he eulogized Mormeros, Atlas, and Shakti. 

At the Vistani Camp, the group broke Zandros's loyalists hold over the camp, for which Arabelle "knighted" Ghalwin in thanks. They later tracked Zandros to the Mad Mage's Stuttering Shack and killed him there, ingratiating themselves to the Lady of the Swamp and learning secrets of the three Desecrated fanes. Back in Vallaki, Ghalwin drove a Moon-Touched sword through Fiona's spy Ernst Larnak and the party raided the Wachterhaus, with Ghalwin carrying Stella to safety through a window. At the trial that followed, Ghalwin's speech to the town cast them as protectors in the mold of Saint Andral as Ajuni's sunlight and Tobias's plea for mercy turned the crowd. The Silver Dawn Of Vallaki gave the party a new name: the Heralds of Dawn.

They negotiated to take the Wachters and others to the Fortress of Silver Dawn, though Karl Wachter grew afraid of Ghalwin; he now saw the man as near-divine, and their romance cooled. As they left, The Abbot's caravan rolled through town with invites to the Vasilkan Wedding, and Ghalwin spent the Abbot's first miracle curing Stella. Fulfilling a promise to Kasimir, they took the elven Wizard with them westward, visiting the Lady of the Mountain up Tsolenka Pass en route to the Amber Temple. Along the way, they finally defeated the Roc of Mount Ghakis, and met with Izek's hill-tribe led by Helwa in a hidden annex.

Inside, a cursed Staff of Frost overtook Ghalwin with a hunger for power until Ezmerelda and Kasimir freed him, and eventually uncovered the secret of the Arcanaloth guarding the temple. At Neferon's direction, Ajuni temporarily reanimated the memory of the Lich Orlev ben Khazan, and the Heralds found Mormeros' body slain by Strahd before he could break Ten-Zras free of his sarcophagus. Ghalwin saw his own bargain reflected in the paladin Oxoryn Ipniani, who had given herself to the Dark Power Fekre, and he healed the sickness her death spread through his friends. As a reward for restoring Khazan, Neferon provided Ghalwin with the shattered hilt of Sergei von Zarovich's Sunsword, the weapon foretold in his tarokka reading; however, Kasimir, whom Ghalwin had begged to earn the temple's favor, was disintegrated by Neferon after failing a test of morality. Ghalwin forever kept Kasimir's Ring of Warmth in memory of his friend.

Leaving the temple, the Heralds hunted and killed the Giant Goat Sangzor, using its body to undo the Desecration Of The Mountain Fane. They traveled far to undo the Desecration Of The Swamp Fane, giving their own life-blood to wake it while offering the bodies of Shakti, Atlas, and Mormeros, ending any hope that the Abbot might raise their friends. Finally, determining that Madam Eva was the true Lady of the Forest, they took her to Old Bonegrinder to undo the Desecration Of The Forest Fane. Madam Eva's trial set the Heralds against visions of Zandros, Mormeros, and Atlas. Shakti returned to her true form, reaffirmed their prophecy to Ghalwin before vanishing, leaving behind only a wolf's fang. Taking the fang, the paladin then adopted a new title, "Ghalwin of the Golden Hart".

Back in the Village of Barovia seeking a safer way to enter Castle Ravenloft, Ghalwin nearly collapsed at the cries of Thorn and Rose from the Death House; however, the paladin rallied to mobilize the villagers against Strahd, who were again inspired with Ajuni's Holy Symbol. They decided to approach from the front, with Laszlo and Adrian Martikov watching over them. Inside Ravenloft, the Heralds finally found and freed Ireena, and attempted to escape with her as well as the Living Doll Pidlwick II, but foolishly attempted to rest in the castle. They were found by Strahd's chamberlain and Kasimir's betrayer Rahadin; Ghalwin, acting on impulse, ordered Tasha's spirit to strike down the elf. As the creator of the mirror, Strahd revealed he saw them, and the party scrambled through the mazelike castle to its brazier portal without Pidlwick in tow.

The Heralds went to Vallaki, hastening the populace into the consecrated church grounds as Strahd followed. The vampire lord collapsed Saint Andral's Church with lightning, causing chaos; after a brief melee, Ajuni persuaded a tearful Ghalwin to hide in the church crypt throughout the Crimson Dusk Of Vallaki rather than fight. Though they were reduced to their lowest, they Heralds were determined to finally end his threat, and returned to Ravenloft through the back route they had discovered days earlier. Guided by a final gift from the Bonerider, the Heralds found the Icon of Ravenloft in its chapel and Saint Markovia's Thighbone in its crypts. They found and freed Kiril Stoyanovich in its dungeons and he offered help in their final fight; Ghalwin gave him Shakti's Blood Spear as a symbol of their fractured brotherhood.

In the tomb of Barov von Zarovich and Ravenovia van Roeyen, Strahd waited for the Heralds, and the heroes made their stand, fighting him and his minions from the crypts all the way to the castle rooftop. Alone, Ghalwin invoked the Ladies Three and struck at Strahd, but the Count cut him down and hurled his Sunsword into the abyss. With enemies surrounding them and the party near-completely depleted, all seemed lost, but Tobias came flying in as Ghalwin fell. The other Knight of the Silver Dragon struck down Strahd with Saint Markovia's thighbone, sending the vampire back into his tomb. The Heralds limped down to the bottom of the castle, but were halted from finishing Strahd due to a Dark Power's influence. Vampyr offered Ghalwin the power to revive the ones he had lost in Barovia, but he ultimately refused the temptation, and drove a stake through the Count's heart in the Slaying Of Strahd.

In the aftermath, the Dreamweave Circlet, which had been placed on Sergei's tomb for protection, was returned to Jarmo. The Blood Hunter emerged from stone to be reunited with Ghalwin; however, after a brief reunion, he realized he could not go back, and instead teamed up with Ireena and Izek to steward a new generation of Barovians. Ajuni and Tobias chose to not remain, instead returning to the Material to figure out Ajuni's parentage. As the Heralds spent their final days together rebuilding Vallaki and the Fortress, Laszlo Lazarescu returned the Sunsword to Ghalwin, recovered from the depths below the castle. The paladin decided that he would take Kiril, his pack, and Laszlo to the material realm to be watched over by the Astralwood Enclave. He would then travel the Gloomshrouds with Ezmerelda, righting the wrongs caused by the Dark Powers.

Before leaving, the Heralds of Dawn made one last journey to the Amber Temple, where Ajuni restored Khazan's mind and Ghalwin learned from him the secrets of the Azure Paragon.