Ascanios Fenn

Overview

Ascanios Fenn (58–144 AC) was a prominent Asgarthan metaphysician and a major critic of Aurica. He argued that reality could never be directly perceived and was instead the product of human manipulation of ideas, created through consensus in a feedback loop. He warned that fragmented visions of the world — including Aurica’s model and the existence of the Factions — would lead to ruin.

Background

Philosophical Position

Fenn held that if ideas were the building material of reality, then reality itself was merely the product of the one who manipulated it — namely, human beings. By extension, a line of thought, if followed by consensus, created reality through a feedback loop shaped in the image of the model conceived. For Fenn, reality was volatile and fragile, and humanity needed to become aware of its own responsibility and the consequences that the ideas it promoted had upon the world.

Codex Linificus

Fenn authored the Codex Linificus, a treatise examining Mana’s role in binding ideas to existence. The work documented the Muna claim that Mana does not operate in isolation — that every idea can be broken down into other ideas linked together. The Muna concept of The Skein describes this as a network of Mana responsible for connecting ideas, shaping composite concepts to form things and individuals.

The Codex explores whether things and individuals could be linked on a macroscopic scale. It references the Muna assertion that the union of Niavhe and Kaibara awakened humans to the perception of the Skein network, and poses the question of whether understanding how a Leviathan could allow humans to perceive it might shed light on this account.

Legacy

Fenn’s writings were studied by Leocardius Sree during his formative years as a scholar, alongside works by Aurica and Ceinwen El-Amin. Saul, a Leviathan researcher, also studied the Codex Linificus, which influenced his belief that understanding Leviathans rather than hunting them could reveal more about the world.

Relationships

• Aurica: Foundational philosopher whose model Fenn critiqued
• Ceinwen El-Amin: Fellow Asgarthan theorist
• Codex Linificus: Treatise authored by Fenn on Mana and Skein theory
• Kaibara: Leviathan referenced in the Codex regarding Skein perception
• Leocardius Sree: Scholar who studied Fenn’s writings
• Muna: Faction whose Skein theory Fenn documented
• Niavhe: Eidolon referenced in the Codex regarding Skein perception
• Saul: Leviathan researcher who studied the Codex Linificus