The priest who keeps the church in Barovia village. Ireena Kolyana asked that her father, Kolyan Indirovich, be buried before she leaves the village, and the party came to the church hoping Donavich would bless the burial in the name of the Morninglord.
They found him kneeling before an altar in a ruined chapel, surrounded by dozens of candles burning against the dark. He had worn through the knees of his vestments. He droned the same prayer over and over, “Morninglord, Morninglord, shine your light upon your son and see us through this darkness”, unclasping his hands only to tug the bell rope beside him. His forearms are covered in pocked, circular teeth marks from feeding his son.
“Forgive me,” he told the party, his voice rough and hoarse. “I don’t often get guests through those doors anymore. My name is Father Donavich. I keep this church, for whatever that’s worth these days.”
Then a voice rose up from beneath the floor: “Father! I’m starving!” Donavich answered it with prayer. Pressed by Ignacious Teegan, he admitted it was his son, Doru, who has been “unwell” and hasn’t left the undercroft since he came back from the castle. Donavich has tried to feed him, but he is always hungry for more.
He is convinced the Morninglord sent the party to him, and begged them to save his boy.
Donavich was the last to be pulled from the rubble of his church, unconscious and at death’s door, and the party brought him round. Before he said a word about the collapse, he asked where his son had gone. While Ignacious Teegan and Retnuh went after Doru, Donavich dusted himself off, climbed up to the only intact section of the church, and carried on with the burial rites for Kolyan Indirovich.
He had barely begun the eulogy when Rahadin, the castle chamberlain, appeared behind him, laid a hand on his shoulder, and told him to take a seat. Donavich sat, and Rahadin took over the eulogy.
At the end of the funeral, Rahadin offered Donavich a large sack of gold for rebuilding the church, saying it would come with “some instruction on how best to redesign it”.