The Apostates are the ruling class of Arathaea, and are supposedly capable of communing directly with the gods. Also supposedly through a link with their gods, they are capable of causing decay to those they touch. The leader of the Apostate is usually one who has attained a perfect state of Chaos, and is called the Lord Apostate, or occasionally the Cardinal.
The current Lord Apostate is Xane Arthunean Drevalia. Of all his precursors, he is the only one that has been truly loved as a leader since Arathae.