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[[Warmaster]] '''Varan the Undefeatable''' was the [[Chaos]] leader of the [[Second Siege of Perlia|Second Siege]] of [[Perlia]], a major battle during the [[13th Black Crusade]] in 999.M41<sup id="fn_1b_back">[[#fn_1b{{fn|[1b]]]</sup>}}.

Based on picts from his earlier conquests, recovered from Chaos soldiers captured in the early stages of the siege, Varan was a man of average build, wearing an austere military uniform with Chaos sigils on his coat and cap. His face was unremarkable, except for two extravagant mustaches. He spoke with a voice that was grating and somewhat whining in its timbre, and also made frequent use of theatrical hand gestures<sup id="fn_1c_back">[[#fn_1c{{fn|[1c]]]</sup>}}. Despite his less-than-intimidating appearance, Varan was also a powerful [[psyker]], who laced his seemingly uninspiring speeches with mental dominance to sway his audience to Chaos, including an [[Adepta Sororitas]] convent on the planet [[Madasa]], as well as members of the PDF of Madasa and Perlia<sup id="fn_1b_back">[[#fn_1b{{fn|[1b]]]</sup><sup id="fn_1c_back">[[#fn_1c}}{{fn|[1c]]]</sup><sup id="fn_1d_back">[[#fn_1d}}{{fn|[1d]]]</sup><sup id="fn_1e_back">[[#fn_1e}}{{fn|[1e]]]</sup><sup id="fn_1f_back">[[#fn_1f}}{{fn|[1f]]]</sup>}}.

Why Varan's force was dispatched to Perlia, while the majority of forces during the Black Crusade concentrated on the [[Cadian Gate]] and its surrounding systems, is not certain. It was speculated that Varan had discovered the existence of an artifact called the [[Shadowlight]], which could awaken latent psychic powers in humans. Varan may have pledged to recover it, in an attempt to curry favor with his dark master, [[Ezekyle Abaddon|Abaddon the Despoiler]] <sup id="fn_1a_back">[[#fn_1a{{fn|[1a]]]</sup>}}.

Upon landing on Perlia and laying siege to the planetary capital of Havensdown, Varan assembled his prisoners, including Planetary Governor [[Lio Trevellyan]], into the scrumball stadium and began to speak, swaying the entire assemblage into swearing fealty to him with his powerful psychic influence<sup id="fn_1e_back">[[#fn_1e{{fn|[1e]]]</sup><sup id="fn_1f_back">[[#fn_1f}}{{fn|[1f]]]</sup>}}. In a desperate gambit, Commissar [[Ciaphas Cain]], aiding in the defense of the planet, contacted Varan's forces and summoned him to the defense headquarters, based at the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] shrine at the Valley of Daemons, to discuss terms of surrender. But when Varan arrived, Cain (protected from Varan's psychic dominance by his [[blank]] aide, [[Ferik Jurgen]]) stated that he had summoned Varan so that the Warmaster would surrender to ''him''<sup id="fn_1g_back">[[#fn_1g{{fn|[1g]]]</sup>}}.

With his psychic talents rendered unexpectedly useless, and his mind-controlled Sororitas bodyguards temporarily disoriented by Jurgen's presence, Varan unleashed the other "gifts" received from his foul gods, including talons that protruded from his fingers and some form of sub-dermal [[carapace armour]]. Despite these, Varan was defeated in single combat with Cain, who kicked the ''"self-styled invincible warlord"'' from the roof of the shrine to his death. The event was recorded via a servo-skull that Varan had brought along to record what he had thought was Cain's surrender to the forces of Chaos, further boosting Cain's already-legendary reputation as a Hero of the Imperium<sup id="fn_1g_back">[[#fn_1g{{fn|[1g]]]</sup><sup id="fn_1h_back">[[#fn_1h}}{{fn|[1h]]]</sup>}}.

After Varan's death, his entourage was destroyed by a [[necron]] scouting force, which then claimed the Shadowlight for themselves before vanishing with their prize<sup id="fn_1g_back">[[#fn_1g{{fn|[1g]]]</sup>}}. The rest of his army, without his influence, splintered into feuding groups, which were defeated in detail by arriving Imperial reinforcements<sup id="fn_1h_back">[[#fn_1h{{fn|[1h]]]</sup>}}.

*''"Well, that was unexpected..." - last words''<sup id="fn_2a_back">[[#fn_2a{{fn|[2a]]]</sup>}}

In [[The Traitor's Hand]], Varan's last words are given as, ''"Well, that was unexpected..."'', presumably referring to his own defeat and death. This quote was purportedly taken from Cain's own book of common sayings which he occasionally peppers into his lectures at the Schola Progenium<sup id="fn_2a_back">[[#fn_2a{{fn|[2a]]]</sup>}}.

However, in [[Cain's Last Stand]], Varan's actual last words are ''"That was unexpected, wasn't it?"'' referring to the surprise appearance of his talons and sub-dermal armour<sup id="fn_1g_back">[[#fn_1g{{fn|[1g]]]</sup>}}.

**<span id="fn_1a">[[#fn_1a_back{{Endn|1a]]}}: Chapter Six, pp. 577-578**<span id="fn_1b">[[#fn_1b_back{{Endn|1b]]}}: Chapter Eight, p. 599**<span id="fn_1c">[[#fn_1c_back{{Endn|1c]]}}: Chapter Ten, pp. 617-619**<span id="fn_1d">[[#fn_1d_back{{Endn|1d]]}}: Chapter Eighteen, pp. 691-694**<span id="fn_1e">[[#fn_1e_back{{Endn|1e]]}}: Chapter Nineteen, pp.702-704**<span id="fn_1f">[[#fn_1f_back{{Endn|1f]]}}: Chapter Twenty-Three, pp. 745-746**<span id="fn_1g">[[#fn_1g_back{{Endn|1g]]}}: Chapter Twenty-Four, pp. 752-761**<span id="fn_1h">[[#fn_1h_back{{Endn|1h]]}}: Editorial Note after Chapter Twenty-Four, p. 762*²[[The Traitor's Hand (Novel)]] by [[Sandy Mitchell]]: **<span id="fn_2a">[[#fn_2a_back{{Endn|2a]]}}: Chapter Eighteen, p. 329