Vampire question settled?

[Gift Jeraff]

If anything, I see Malack being a Negative Energy spirit opening up interesting possibilities for Durkula: Malack had a personality beyond "evil spirit that wants to do vampire things," and he had no reason to be impersonating the living shaman. So this means that Dwarfula might start to develop his own personality (both from absorbing Durkon's memories and from his own experiences), rather than just be a generic evil obstacle.

In fact, this might even be Durkon's plan--feed Nega-Durkon so many memories such that he quickly develops his own personality and becomes something more than Hel's pawn.

Malack's vampire-spirit was an autonomous individual with free will for two hundred years.

While I agree with this post's overall point, Malack could have been a thrall for a significant chunk of his unlife.