Cebrail 20, 1790 – The depths of the Bythos Superocean hold many wonders, but also many horrors, and few are as silently insidious as the rising tide of electronic pollution, particularly within the technologically saturated Technocracy of Paraplex [1]. An investigative report paints a despairing picture of how advanced technology, unchecked by ethical considerations, can lead to profound ecological and existential decay.
The Technocracy of Paraplex, an underwater nation founded on Nano Punk culture, prides itself on its relentless pursuit of technological advancement and a society optimized through pervasive digital integration. Its populace navigates a reality powered by crystallized lightning (Ramiel) and heating mud (Arakiel), systems designed to enhance every facet of their lives, from communication to physical augmentation. However, beneath the gleaming surfaces of Paraplex Prime, a silent catastrophe is unfolding, a direct consequence of this unbridled progress: a deluge of electronic waste, or e-waste.
The technological brilliance of Paraplex Prime belies the toxic decay festering in the depths below. Progress and pollution are two sides of the same coin in the Technocracy (Credit: Kenomitian)
This burgeoning toxic tide is transforming the very fabric of Paraplex’s aquatic existence, blurring the lines between technological detritus and emergent, hazardous life. The core tenets of the Technocracy’s communist system, which views artificial intelligences and even sentient constructs as mere government property, has fostered an environment where the ethical disposal of defunct machinery is virtually non-existent. This disregard for the “soulless” has set the stage for an unprecedented ecological and existential crisis.
Electronic waste stands as one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams across all realms, both Kenomitian and beyond. Only a fraction formally collected and recycled, the situation within Paraplex is far more dire. The sheer volume of discarded electronics, from personal augmentations to industrial-scale computational units, is staggering. When this e-waste is improperly disposed of, through methods like open dumping in the “Sludge Trenches,” rudimentary landfilling, or even more corrosive acid baths, it unleashes a toxic cocktail of hundreds of chemical substances. Neurotoxicants such as lead, mercury, cadmium, dioxins, and flame retardants leach directly into the water, saturating aquatic ecosystems and contaminating the very currents that sustain life in the Kenomitian depths.
A staggering mountain of discarded technology and defunct augmentations pollutes the “Sludge Trenches,” a monument to the Technocracy’s disregard for the “soulless” Credit: Kenomitian)
The degradation of Paraplex’s aquatic ecosystems represents a profound perversion of Kenoma’s natural cosmological structures. Once vibrant deep-sea biomes, teeming with unique flora and fauna, are now sickly, muted landscapes. The omnipresent e-waste alters natural ocean currents, creating stagnant, anaerobic zones where life struggles to persist. The toxins bioaccumulate through the food web, poisoning even the deepest dwellers. What were once pristine reef systems, essential components of Kenoma’s aquatic vitality, are now ghost-like structures, their intricate ecosystems disrupted by acidic pollutants and heavy metal saturation. This environmental decay is not merely a localized problem; it reflects a systemic failure to respect the interconnectedness of Kenoma’s physical and spiritual planes.
What were once pristine reef systems, essential components of Kenoma’s aquatic vitality, are now ghost-like structures, their intricate ecosystems disrupted by acidic pollutants (Credit: Kenomitian)
Beyond the Written Words, the Story Unfolds:
Beyond the sheer volume of toxic materials, Paraplex faces a particularly grotesque manifestation of this pollution: robotic warmachines infected by ASens. ASens, or “artificial sentiences,” are a class of infomorphs with a primarily digital existence, akin to animalistic artificial intelligence. Robotic warmachines themselves are “mantics,” infomorphs with a physical origin, designed to serve various purposes, including defense and labor for the Technocracy. These abandoned or malfunctioning machines, once discarded without ethical consideration, become vessels for emergent ASens. This grim synergy transforms what would merely be hazardous waste into autonomously moving, potentially unpredictable agents of pollution, their corrupted internal systems leaking deadly toxins into the already beleaguered environment. Some desperate citizens have begun to refer to these mobile, leaking hazards as “Scraplords,” a testament to their horrific, uncontrolled presence.
Abandoned machines, once discarded without ethical consideration, become vessels for emergent ASens, transforming into autonomously moving, unpredictable agents of pollution known as “Scraplords” (Credit: Kenomitian)
“The ocean is weeping,” stated an anonymous representative from the Deep Currents Alliance, one of the few environmentalist collectives still operating in the shadows of Paraplex, risking the severe repercussions of the Technocracy. “We see the dead zones expand daily. The old currents, once predictable and life-giving, are now choked with currents of pure poison. And the Scraplords… they are a constant, moving reminder of the regime’s hubris. They are born from our waste, and they feed on our despair.” Another resident, a deep-sea auger whose family has worked the seabed for generations, reported, “My children’s gills burn. Their skins itch. The Ramiel and Arakiel feed the city, but their waste poisons our very blood. Wung Waters and Foam-Barbaroosa promised progress, but all we see is decay“.
“My children’s gills burn. Their skins itch“, laments a deep-sea auger, bearing witness to the silent, creeping death caused by the very systems that promised progress (Credit: Kenomitian)
The toll of e-waste exposure is equally devastating for the augmented populace. Studies within the Technocracy, albeit heavily censored, have hinted at a range of severe health issues, including respiratory problems, neurological disorders, reproductive impairments, and various forms of cancer. Children and pregnant women are disproportionately vulnerable, as their developing bodies are highly susceptible to pollutants that can cross the placenta or contaminate breastmilk. The absorption of lead, a common e-waste component, can lead to cognitive delays, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities. The Technocracy’s pervasive “epimorphism” and mind-altering drugs might mask the immediate health consequences, but the long-term effects of continuous exposure to such pervasive toxicity are undeniably catastrophic. The very systems designed to enhance the physical and sexual capabilities of its citizens through drugs and augmentations likely generate their own stream of specialized e-waste, further contributing to the problem.
The situation also presents a growing geopolitical tension. The Technocracy of Paraplex, with its rigid communist regime and state-owned industrial behemoths like Wung Waters and Foam-Barbaroosa, prioritizes technological output and control over environmental responsibility. Their relentless production and expansion, coupled with the ethical vacuum surrounding the disposal of “soulless” machines, directly fuels the crisis. The resulting environmental degradation and the unpredictable movements of the ASen-infected warmachines could lead to unforeseen regional instability, impacting neighboring aquatic nations or even the surface world if the toxic currents spread beyond Paraplexian borders. The despair in Paraplex is not just environmental; it is a profound societal rot, where unchecked ambition has turned the very promise of progress into a silent, creeping death.
The resulting environmental degradation and the unpredictable movements of the ASen-infected warmachines could lead to unforeseen regional instability, impacting neighboring aquatic nations (Credit: Kenomitian)
Notes extracted from the Kenomitian Compendium
[1] The Technocracy of Paraplex is an underwater nano‑punk Melanesian state powered by crystallized lightning (Ramiel) and heating mud (Arakiel): a communist technocracy that enforces compulsory drug control, speaking Pa‑Oo (Hiri Motu, Barbeliotic) from its Bythosian capital Eloiein, with colonies on Heimarmene, Horos, and numerous extra‑dimensional realms (Jedediah, Abezethibou, Cocytus, Elysium, Sea of Suf, Shakah, The Mirkwood, Wilweorthunga).
Pardes laws pharmacologically stratify society: Peshat are drug‑dulled yet physically/sexually augmented and brainwashed; Remez gain sensory boosters; Derash are prolific but detached; Sod receive beautifying surgeries; Partzufim get mental enhancers plus indoctrination (Drakes/Drakainas and Archangels count as Partzufim, Cambions as Peshat).
Automata—cryptids, monsters, homunculi, golems, familiars—are property and epimorphism is reserved to officials; mundane AIs are state property and uplifted/parasapient tlavati belong to their creators/owners.
Only state necromancers may interact with elioud remains (ghost creation banned), and only officials may wield Hypnosis, Eliomancy, Possession, Panopticon, Mindscaping, or Epimorphism on elioud; Emmakha citizens are treated as Remez; slavery is abolished.
Paraplex rejects megacorporate extraterritoriality (despite presences of Nuit, Ra‑Hoor‑Khuit, Hurtaly, Pantagruel, ΘΕΛΗΜΑ, Gadreel), wages a hot war against Horaios and a cold war with Zalgo while enduring Choronzon and YEQON raids; its Economic-Military Ranking is 26; flag: six white moons ring on black with a golden lionfish on red; anthem “Song of Happiness.”
A glimpse into the Technocracy of Paraplex (Credit: Kenomitian). See more
