Quick Quandary on Malack and Tarquin

[Cisturn]

Why doesn't Tarquin want to become a Vampire? Besides some awkwardness between professionals you'd think he'd jump on the opportunity. Is Malack able to create new vampires that aren't under his control? Even so it seems like extending the easy life exponentially would be on Tarquin's to do list.

[Ellye]

Why doesn't Tarquin want to become a Vampire? Besides some awkwardness between professionals you'd think he'd jump on the opportunity. Is Malack able to create new vampires that aren't under his control? Even so it seems like extending the easy life exponentially would be on Tarquin's to do list.I don't think Tarquin has any interest in extending his lifespan by that much.
Tarquin seeks a different kind of immortality - he wants to be remembered forever, not to actually live forever (even less so as an undead, as those can't really feel all the pleasures of life - just ask Xykon). He knows that every good history has an ending.


Or perhaps he already is a vampire! DUHN DUHN DUHN

[kxm]

^^^ Yeah, pretty much exactly what I was going to say. He prefers to be immortal by being a legend, not by actually physically staying in the world and ruling forever. Once you've reached the top you either depart, or you eventually fall.

[Morquard]

I'm not sure that's a trait for all undead or just those like Xykon.
I mean a vampire is pretty much still fully human (or lizardfolk in this case), while a lich is basically a skeleton.

It makes sense that the latter loses his sense of taste and everything, it doesn't mean that the former do. Malack apparently enjoyed his cup of tea... sure, it was disgusting blood-tea, but he enjoyed it.
Also stories are full of vampires having sex so that part of Tarquin's life wouldn't necessarily change either.

[VanaGalen]

It makes sense that the latter loses his sense of taste and everything, it doesn't mean that the former do. Malack apparently enjoyed his cup of tea... sure, it was disgusting blood-tea, but he enjoyed it.
Also stories are full of vampires having sex so that part of Tarquin's life wouldn't necessarily change either.

Tarquin seems to really enjoy a glass of good wine and I'm not sure if blood-tea would make up for that... As for the other thing, sure there are stories, but what should he do with lower body temperature? It probably would raise some questions.

I think that Tarquin's plan doesn't include eternal life. He based his scheme on the rule that someone has to run the evil empire before the hero arrives. Adding to that Elan, who is his son, hero, and of good alignment, Tarquin probably knows it can end up in only one way. In other words, he will be eventually defeated and gone and he knows it. Being a vampire wouldn't help him. Of course things might not go this way, but it seems Tarquin's plan is based on the assumption he's going to die after Elan defeats him.

Also, as pointed out above, Tarquin seems to be after everlasting glory rather than long/eternal life.

[snoopy13a]

I'm not sure that a vampire-Tarquin would actually be Tarquin.

Malack says that "Bringing me back to life is just a complicated way of annihilating the person I am today."

One interpretation of Malack's statement is that vampire-Malack isn't actually Malack. Instead, the "real" Malack is off in some sort of afterlife while vampire-Malack is a different creature with the real-Malack's memories and body.

If this interpretation is correct, then there would be no reason for an informed person to choose to "become" a vampire. What good is it for Tarquin if vampire-Tarquin is ruling the world while he is in the afterlife?

[hamishspence]

I'm not sure that a vampire-Tarquin would actually be Tarquin.

Malack says that "Bringing me back to life is just a complicated way of annihilating the person I am today."

One interpretation of Malack's statement is that vampire-Malack isn't actually Malack. Instead, the "real" Malack is off in some sort of afterlife while vampire-Malack is a different creature with the real-Malack's memories and body.

In Complete Divine, it's implied that this is the case for many "spawning" undead- the real soul is "trapped in the undead body" and something else is in charge of it. Some types have access to the memories- some don't.

[Morquard]

Hm, yes if that is truely the case then I assume Tarquin wouldn't be very interested in that.