Varnae is the name of one of the oldest vampires in the world. He predates Dracula by millennia, originally having been a dark sorceror in Atlantis who--along with others--used the blasphemous magical tome the Darkhold to create the current race of vampires on earth. Thus he is not only an extremely powerful vampire, he is also a magic wielder of considerable skill.
In his age-old existence, Varnae has battled or encountered such individuals as Dr. Strange, Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonja, as well as the Norse god Thor (thus his inclusion in the WNU is via crossover). He was the original Lord of the Vampires, until he grew weary of life and chose a vampire called Lothos Nimrod as his successor, but prophecied that Nimrod's reign would not be long. Vlad Tepes became a vampire soon after and wrested the throne from him.