Alongside their caravan, the Heralds of Dawn stopped by the Vallaki Vistani Camp. Having stayed with the dusk elf in his months of recovery, Ghalwin felt he owed a debt to Kasimir Velikov, and wanted to honor his request to journey to the Amber Temple. Not totally trusting anything about the Vistani and wanting to avoid further confrontation, Ajuni teleported Ghalwin straight outside his hovel. Kasimir was grateful to see the paladin and was eager to join the Heralds, but took particular fascination with Ajuni's Dark Gift. This only made her more suspicious, but she did not stop him from joining the group.
The caravan to Argynvostholt now consisted of two wagons, eleven animals, and twenty-one people, and strange social dynamics began to form over the three-plus day journey. Ghalwin worked furiously maintain the group's cohesion and train the wolf hunters while Izek and Ezmerelda taught the guards on what to expect at the mansion. As Tobias maintained and improved their equipment, Ajuni specifically paid attention to Fiona, ensuring the former Baroness did not feel despondent despite her world-changing events. The half-elf also had a teary-eyed conversation with Tobias, checking in and reaffirming their importance to each other, and the party successfully defended the large caravan from Barovia's horrors en route to Argynvostholt.
The traps of alchemists fire had been set off by invaders, but the mansion itself had been successfully defended. Lancelot bounded out into Ghalwin's grateful arms as the group made their way up the hill and settled into Argynvostholt. Tobias had a conversation with him about how to approach their mutual oaths: the paladin believed in doing his utmost to establish hierarchy amongst their fledgling commune, but the artificer believed in faithfully allowing them to decide their own way. Recognizing that it wasn't Ghalwin's responsibility to save everyone from themselves, the two mutually agreed to let the people of Argynovstholt decide their own structure.
The Heralds of Dawn left for the road once again in Ezmerelda's wagon, now much leaner and quicker. The winding road Tsolenka Pass to the gatehouse was a long one, and on the way, they caught up to the Bonerider, who was carrying a black-candled lantern sporting a continuous green flame. They crip-walked their horses around the Bonerider, and the knight turned the other way, but left the lantern behind. Its green flame reminded Ajuni of both the curtain at the Tsolenka Pass gatehouse as well as of Flameskulls, a creature she had learned about from a drunk mark in her thieving days; as with most of the Boneriders gifts, nobody was quite sure what to make of it.
The party ultimately took a week to get from Vallaki to the gatehouse, but were protected during the full moon by the high mountain pass. They decided to stop by Szabina Pokolytsch's cabin, and as Ez, Lance, and Izek watched the wagon by the roadside, Tobias led Ghalwin and Ajuni through the woods. The gnome got them lost over the course of hours, and Ajuni narrowly spotted Szabina hunting them. She called out and Ghalwin narrowly avoided an arrow to the head, but they reconciled with the Huntress and explained their mission. She told them of a lost battle between von Zarovich forces and her own followers at Yester Hill, lead by the Bloodspear's owner Kavan and Shakti's father, Jaghr of the Longtooth. After the loss, she attacked Strahd in fury, and her spilled blood created the Gulthias Tree that now covered her true fane.
To consecrate it, the party would need to sacrifice a legendary beast after digging up the roots of the true. Szabina agreed to travel to Yester Hill by the 6th day of the Hunter's Moon to attempt to rest power from Strahd, and the party deliberated on what to sacrifice. Mentions of Shredder, the Roc of Mount Ghakis, Kiril Stoyanovich, and the Gigant Tyatshkala were all floated, but much to Izek's delight, they ultimately decided to hunt Bloodhorn the Giant Goat.
As Tobias and Ajuni expected, the gatehouse opened on its own, and the gnome approached the curtain of green flame with Bonerider's lantern in hand. He coughed and failed to convincingly pretend that the lantern did anything, but still dispelled the flame as Mormeros taught him before. As the wagon passed through, two chilling screams filled the air: the two gargoyles above the gatehouse were actually demonic Vrocks in disguise!
