I genuinely think that without the vampire aspect though, his story does lose something. The fact that he was magially stripped of his agency, physically unable to defy his master makes him far more sympathetic. When you first met him is literally the first time in centuries that he's been free to make his own choices. If he were just a regular high elf, then he's kind of just an asshole. Though I suppose they could still have him have been magically enthralled. That would work.
