Markus Leonhardt

> *"Wherever has your strive to be perfect gone off to?"*
>
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Markus Albert Leonhardt is the prophet, founder, and leader of the Cult of the Perfect Man. Born during the Age of Hedonism, Leonhardt's ambitions dwarfed his peers'; in a world defined by instant gratification, he was the first man to have thought in the long term. Divinely inspired to lead the crusade for Humanity's renewal and perfection, Leonhardt's main reliance and source of inspiration is none other than the Perfect Man, the divine entity preached as the One, True God by Leonhardt, and professed by both the Cult of the Perfect Man and the Solarian Empire. Nowadays, Leonhardt is regarded as the patron of Humanity, and its saviour from the devastation wrought by the olden elite.

## Life

### Early Life

Leonhardt was born into the average Terran household of the time. Fitted with cybernetical enhancements at birth, and taught throughout his infancy the values of the Age of Hedonism, Leonhardt expressed a thorough, and oftentimes all-consuming passion for reading and writing. At first, his works were humble - the average erotica, to be sold off for the sake of material gain, in order to fund the production of further similar works. Yet, as time passed and Leonhardt grew, his passion for writing followed in kind. Leonhardt began espousing a profound need to perfect his writing, and in this quest for perfection, did he unknowingly make first contact with the Perfect Man.

### Revelation

"There must be something more to writing than just- sexual intercourse." Thought Leonhardt, as his aspirations grew. Indeed, the world of art and writing were all but bound to the quest for man's pleasure, and as such, all forms of writing of political, philosophical, historical, or societal nature were shunned by the society of the time and rendered illegal. Leonhardt was thus poised against the law, and forced to smuggle the writings of Machiavelli, Alighieri, and Dostoyevsky, the sermons of Plato, Aristotle and Democritus, as well as the manifestos of Marx, Montesquieu and Voltaire. The teachings of Christ, Muhammad and Zoroaster were progressively unearthed, and gobbled up as if the sweetest candy. And for the first time in centuries, Leonhardt's amalgamation of what he learnt, bound to the eternally-present mysticism of the Perfect Man, resulted in the release of a philosophical book that sought to rebuke man, instead of bringing upon further gratification. This eponymous book, dedicated to the Perfect Man, unveiled to the world its flaws, and ripped asunder the blinds that once nested afore Humanity's drugged eyes. Leonhardt's chef-d'oeuvre, for how unique and new it was, took the world by storm, and revolutionised what it meant to be Human. This, however, was quickly noticed by the ruling elite.

### Crusade

Leonhardt's book, titled "The Perfect Man", described in great detail Humanity's mistakes. It contained a thorough explanation of the historical events leading up to the Age of Hedonism, referenced many forlorn philosophers, politicians and apologetics, and coined the concept of a new Empire dedicated to the stars, "Solaria", as well as the very worship of the Perfect Man. This book quickly became Leonhardt's bible, and Leonhardt himself also became prophet. At first, the ruling elite sought to silence Leonhardt, yet the latter's dabbling in the black markets facilitated the selling of his book regardless. Leonhardt's following quickly grew to massive extents, and when the elites deemed it fit to capture Leonhardt and sentence him to death, the damage had already been done. The news of Leonhardt's arrest sent waves coursing through Humanity and unfelt for many, many years. For the first time in centuries, Man decided to act. Man felt wrathful. Man demanded justice, and thus, Man took the streets. The first few, daring protests were faced with harsh manoeuvres and ungodly persecution, though the nature of the elite had already been revealed. Most cities fell to riots, and the elites' very own armies, Men alike any other, abandoned the service of their masters for the sake of a life under their own hands. Leonhardt was freed a mere three hours before his execution, and quickly elevated to leader of all Mankind. A gargantuan task and a great challenge now awaited Leonhardt, yet the consoling realisation that the road to Perfection was underway soothed the prophet.

### Death

Alas, despite being the most qualified of his time, the Prophet had nowhere near the abilities to establish Solaria. Terra, at the time, suffered from a drought in academic knowledge, and little had been safeguarded in order to teach Humanity the fruit of its toiling once more. Leonhardt bid his time, however, and dedicated the vast majority of his rule towards unearthing olden knowledge and teaching it to his subjects. Slowly, Man became knowledgeable, and with eventuality, the necessary balance betwixt brawn and brain had been restored, and Humanity could finally progress. This all took a toll on Leonhardt's health, which dwindled and waned before the Prophet could bring upon Solaria. On the 20th of February 2324, the Prophet died of natural causes.

### Legacy

It took Humankind two thousand years to undo the damages done by the Age of Hedonism. One after the other, Leonhardt's closest companions became Emperors of Mankind, until the last remaining one, Armand Lyonnais, established the Lyonnais Dynasty, which still rules to this very day. It was under this very Dynasty that Solaria, at the coming of the 44th century, was finally established.