I don't think this is unpopular, but you know I would LOVE a harder/expanded version of this and they even have a great excuse for it.
We currently have a portal to Vampyirum we use (two actually) and it's full of as far as we know untamed wilderness. There is a Myreque Polamafi who fell in potentially and I know they talked about maybe having him show up again kinda like changed by having to survive and live off the land, Irwinsson would be a good comparison.
So maybe Polamafi has set up a base on Vampyrium and you need to protect people as you guide them from the original Drakan castle, since that's where the portal in our world connects to Vampyrium, to the new base/village/whatever set up by Polamafi. Protecting them from various threats unique to Vampyrium actually balanced for current EoC.
Would need good rewards of course. Maybe outfit pieces that specifically improve your Bak bolt production from bloodwood trees or more boosts to your blood rune craf...