Before the vrocks could descend on the Heralds of Dawn, Ghalwin misty stepped atop the gatehouse to occupy them, and Tobias enchanted Izek to join the aerial fray. Kasimir's frail body could not weather their assault of stunning screeches and poisonous spores, but the party retained composure; in tandem with an Ezmerelda Vistani curse, their blades eviscerated one of the demons within seconds. The second vrock tried to escape, but Ghalwin leapt onto it mid-air, allowing Ajuni time to blast it dead into the stone of the guard's tower.
Izek caught Ghalwin mid-fall with a Predator-style handshake, and they searched the abandoned tower alongside Tobias and Kasimir. Inside, Ghalwin stole a mounted dire wolf’s head to return to Argynvostholt, and on the rooftop they found eight golden statues of the same warrior woman amidst skeletal remains. The dead had been pierced by fire, and Tobias noticed too late that there were mechanisms inside the constructs; eight Helmed Horrors turned inward to defend their tower. Ghalwin drew their attention as Tobias fled to the wagon, and Izek rescued Kasimir. He held the elf as a sort of makeshift magical gun, launching cones of cold at the statues before flying to Tobias. Ghalwin endured a barrage of flaming spears, then jumped from the roof and teleported atop Verity.
At speed, they joined the now-fleeing wagon, but encountered a lone rider in black on the cracked bridge beyond the gatehouse. Strahd von Zarovich did not react to Izek and Kas as they flew by, so on a hunch, Ghalwin went dispelled magic along the bridge, and found the vampire to again be an illusion. However, in a turn of extraordinary misfortune (003 on a luck check!), a much larger threat screeched from distant peaks: The Roc of Mount Ghakis had overheard their fight. With nowhere to hide and little time to retreat, the Heralds prepared to face it directly on the mountain pass.
Izek chain-chugged five Potion of Greater Healing and flew up to meet the Roc alongside Ghalwin, while Ajuni, Ezmerelda, and Kasimir blasted it with fire and arcane bolts from the safety of the caravan. The great bird ignored the aerial threat and instead dove down to crush the source of the magic, lifting the wagon with massive talons. Strong enough to absorb the monstrosity's destructive wingbeats, Ghalwin flew to its face and blinded it with a radiant smite. The Heralds inside dove from the wagon, attacking the roc as they did so, and another blast from Ajuni forced it to drop its precious cargo. Before it could fly off in defeat, Izek rose to meet the creature, seized its tongue, and drove his blade into its skull.
The roc was killed instantly, and crushed the wagon and much of the party underneath it as it tumbled into the valley below. Ghalwin and Izek flew down to the body, which had crushed a copse of trees, and preserved it with a gentle repose. During the flight, Ghalwin gave Izek his Divinatory Diary to record his dreams, and the two traveled arm-in-arm once again. Above, Tobias was having a worse time, as he struggled to repair the obliterated wagon amidst the cold and barren pass. Carrying injuries and exhaustion, and with a storm above the cliffs worsening, they chose to camp in the watchtower for the night.
Izek dreamed of chasing Ireena through a winter forest, only to be stopped by a hand of earth that rose from the ground and swallowed him. Ghalwin interpreted the dream and suggested that Izek might be a reincarnation of Sergei, the man Tatyana once loved; however, without seeing Sergei’s grave, there was no way to confirm the suspicion. Tobias managed to fix the wagon, but the frost-ridden road soon became impassable by cart anyway. The Heralds continued on foot, traveling for three days as the air grew thinner and the mist fell away below them.
When they finally found the Amber temple, Ajuni felt an absolute longing to go inside; Delban did not control her, but his influence within was undeniable. The group found a broken entrance, and when Tobias snuck inside, he found a dire wolf and several resting barbarians. Izek recognized the group, including their leader Helwa, and approached them alone, locking arms with her again predator-style. The hillfolk were hunting for Bloodhorn, and Izek agreed to join their quarry in the early morning as a condition of their favor. Through stories of triumph and trophies of the slain roc, an impressed Helwa allowed the party to rest in their alcove.
Helwa warned that vengeful "fiery spirits" lurked beyond both sets of amber doors that cordoned off the alcove. Though Ajuni could indeed smell a burnt body beyond the passage, they had little choice; at dawn, the Heralds would again open the ancient temple's doors.