Vampire question settled?

[Keltest]

Uh, yes. That fits with the dialogue. Why do you think it has to refer to more than the method of killing him?

Because Malack doesn't say "it would kill me" at any point. He says it would "Destroy the person he is today." Implying that he would not outright die, but would lose a fundamental part of his person (ie the vampirism).

Yes. If Malack the evil spirit who absorbed the shaman thinks of himself as the shaman, only better, than that's exactly what he would say.

So youre now suggesting that not only does he have the shaman's memories, he has his personality too? So... besides being composed of negative energy, how is there a possessing spirit in this scenario at all?

Except for the line about having things to do before unthralling Durkula. That's an indication right there that Malack isn't just going to travel home and release him.

unless youre talking about this comic I cant find the scene youre thinking of. And if you are talking about that one, obviously they aren't done there yet. They haven't found the gate at that point.

We saw Durkula do the equivalent of stubbing his toe. If Malack weren't able to command him, wouldn't it be reasonable for Malack to worry he would get into some more serious trouble? If Durkula went running for the sunny outdoors, don't you think Malack would want to be able to say "STOP RIGHT THERE, YOUNG MAN"?

possibly, but Durkon immediately know that it was the sun burning him, and both he and Malack were able to survive for a little while in the sunlight. Long enough for Durkon to go "Oh crap, sun!" and turn around, at least.

The fact that it's the way it worked in a very widely known pop-culture representation of vampires means it's fair game for Rich to draw upon, and in a perfect world would stop people being confused by Malack referring to his pre-vamping self in the first person.

Again, the fact that it could have inspired him doesn't mean that it is a reliable or relevant source for what happens.

Exactly. Not "You were birthed in my halls"; "Your dark spirit was birthed in my halls." If she were talking to her possessing spirit hiding inside a vampire, she'd speak to him directly. Something like "Nergal's snake may have sired the vampire, but you were birthed in my halls." Hel clearly thinks of the dark spirit as an essential part of the vampire.

That doesn't even make sense. Durkon is, for all intents and purposes, not there for the purposes of conversation. Plus, up to that point, she WAS talking to the dark spirit specifically, since we can see Durkon having no say -at all- about what is happening. he cant even taunt futilely at Hel.