Mikkal

If the Synod recognised such a thing, Mikkal of Varushka - known as the Firestarter - would be an Exemplar of Anarchy.

A cultist of this false virtue, Mikkal delighted in devising elaborate schemes to tear down both "the lies and hypocrisies of society” and "the illusion of security.” Mikkal’s madness is portrayed as being infectious, and he found it easy to attract followers - known as Mikkalites - who he used as pawns in his schemes. Frequently it is only the intervention of Vardas, Paragon of Vigilance, that averts some terrible disaster.

According to the stories and legends, Mikkal and Vardas had a fateful confrontation in which Mikkal committed suicide to escape into the Labyrinth of Ages and be reborn in a time when Vardas would be unable to stop him.

In the year 53 YE, a notorious figure arose claiming to be Mikkal reincarnated. Now styling himself as the “Sovereign of the Empire” he sought to undermine the entire Empire, sowing chaos, disharmony and ruin wherever he could and working to break down the tenuous links between nations. The Mikkalites were hunted down and destroyed and their leader, whose true identity was never uncovered, vowed that he would return again. Some claim that one of those who took the forefront of the battle to the Mikkalites was the reincarnated Ion, Vardas' apprentice, whose timely appearance was not formally recognised.

Staunch supporters of Vardas’ legacy deny that this the leader of this cult was Mikkal the Firestarter who was stopped for evermore by Vardas’ sacrifice, but others worry that should Mikkal be reincarnated again he will embark on another anarchist's crusade.

Later, during the Freedom Heresy, it was speculated that one of the rebels was Mikkal reincarnated to cause strife once again. However, no scholar was able to identify any person who claimed this identity, or mantle, and it is largely considered to be apocryphal.