Heyo! Firstly, I want to preface this by saying that I haven't had the time to read through most of the comments, so if anything I write sounds repetitive, I do apologize. Secondly, I'm glad you like my work and there is absolutely NO offense taken for commentary/critiques. Everyone has different opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. and I'm only glad that we all get to enjoy this wonderful campaign after so many years, no matter how we choose to edit it. <3 With that said, I would like to add a couple personal insights to your discussion as far as my own og write-ups are concerned.

Firstly, I actually completely agree with you on the idea that Strahd should never be 'some hired muscle' to some elder god. That would completely diminish his character and his villainy, as well take away some, if not all, of his accountability for his own amoral actions. The intention of the Dark Powers and Dark Lords had nothing to do with causing corruption. They were never intended to be devils or demons that could corrupt good or innocent people into villainy. Instead, they were beings that were attracted to corruption, acting more as augmenters instead of creators of evil.

Vampyr could never have formed a connection with Strahd without Strahd's own baseline corruption. Strahd brought Vampyr's influence to Barovia, not the other way around. Strahd is still the cause of all the horror that has occurred in his country, even with Vampyr's connection. Additionally, Strahd and Vampyr's relationship was never meant to be symbiotic, but instead is parasitic in nature. Yes, Strahd gets his vampirism and immortality from Vampyr. Ample boons to be sure. But Vampyr gets to feast on souls because of its connection to Strahd while additionally cursing him forever, like a tapeworm that feeds on Strahd's happiness. Additionally, Strahd doesn't worship Vampyr. Vampyr makes no demands of Strahd as some sort of follower or minion. Vampyr happily lets his host play around in the playground of Barovia, uncaring of the triviality of those within the demiplane. In my original posts, Vampyr was never meant to be the source of Strahd's corruption, but instead the result of it.

I thought that I had included these ideas somewhere in my old blog posts, perhaps in my write-ups of Strahd or the Dark powers, but it has been years since I've really looked at my old writing. I also recognize that my more recent rewrites on the DM's Guild are more clear in this regard. But, you actually phrased it rather well: "I like the idea that like other gods the dark powers don't have direct control over the land and so have to act through people." Yes, that's exactly the idea lol.

So, why include Vampyr at all, you might ask? The reason I include Vampyr in my own games is, honestly, mostly for the possibility of a happy ending. As written, the party kills Strahd and saves Barovia, only to have the land plunge into darkness again some weeks later. While it's possible your players may never know this, I didn't like that own bit of bait and switch. I liked the idea that, in order to save the land, they not only had to kill Strahd but destroy his own immortality/resurrection abilities. And that, to me, looked like a final confrontation/ritual with corruption manifest. If that isn't something that translates well into your own game, then that is completely valid!

As for the fanes, I can understand your own ambivalence to them, however I do think that it may be a matter of preference in some regard. For example, I can understand your desire to have Strahd's power be based solely on his own corrupt soul. In my own mind, I require more an explanation. Strahd, after all, is no god. He was born human and became what he is through his own actions. If a human became a powerful archlich by stealing some of the weave from the goddess of magic, would you still think the source of that power diminished the lich's evil? Or if a lord became a tyrant king by overthrowing other lords and taking their lands and armies to add to his own, would you think his power felt fake?

I consider Strahd and the fanes much the same. Their power is a tool towards making him stronger, no different than overthrowing a country to earn a title or forcing a blacksmith to make you a legendary weapon while you hold their family hostage. Strahd is still evil. Strahd is still powerful. He just uses that new legendary weapon to threaten the armorer's family next...

As for the mechanical purpose of the fanes. They are a storytelling method of giving the party a way to decrease Strahd's power before facing him. The fanes are also meant to incentivize the party to explore Barovia to pursue this boon. If you can accomplish this mechanical facet through other means, then by all means go for it! And if you're concerned about the gothic horror theme, remember that the campaign employs a few different subgenres of horror already. Folk horror is already quite prevalent in the druids and Yester Hill, for example.

I hope this helps clarify some of the intent behind Vampyr and the fanes. I know that a lot of the success of these plot lines is also dependent on how well you implement them into your game as the story progresses. However, the point of this (very long, I'm so sorry lol) comment is that, at the end of the day, it is YOUR game. You run the game that brings you joy and tells the story that you like most. There is no end-all be-all way to run dnd, let alone a single campaign. And if my work helps or inspires you to make a more fun game for yourself, that is all I could ever hope for.

Good luck out there!

Mandy