Wepet Renpet Boat Race RP Contest 2026

[Halo]

A deep rumble echoed beneath the hull before the river erupted in a towering spray. From the depths rose Yam, the ancient sea monster and Lord of Chaos, his serpentine body towering above the water as his jaws opened wide enough to swallow the royal dahabiya.
The crew froze in terror, while rival boats scattered toward the banks.
Prince Nebemakhet stood firm at the bow, planting his ebony staff upon the deck.
"O mighty Set, Lord of Storms, Defender of Ra, Champion against the forces of chaos, strike down this beast that threatens the sacred Nile and let order prevail!"
Dark clouds gathered overhead. A fierce desert wind swept across the river, whipping the sail taut as thunder rolled across the heavens. Set appeared upon the storm, his bronze spear flashing like lightning. He hurled it into Yam's great coils, and the monster let out a deafening roar. The serpent was driven back into the depths, and the chaos was subdued.
The storm passed as quickly as it had come. Sunlight broke through the clouds, gleaming upon the calm waters of the Nile.
Nebemakhet lowered his staff and bowed his head.
"Praise to Set, whose strength preserves order against chaos. Let us continue our voyage with courage."
The crew raised a triumphant cheer, took up their oars once more, and the royal dahabiya surged onward toward the finish.

[Tethys 13]

Scenario 2: Look! Something has caught the boats around you’s attention. There’s a ripple under the surface of the water, then eyes peering up at you. Suddenly, the head of a giant sea serpent emerges! What does your crew do?

Tragedy of the Shackleram: Chapter 2

Following the mysterious and terrible horror the Grand Council faced in their last obstacle, they were greatly relieved by the return to normalcy of a mere sea monster. Its fangs darted towards the boat, to be held and repelled by Nite's buckler, a shudder going along the serpent's length as it lost its equilibrium from the sudden cessation of momentum as it touched the star pumice boss of that small shield. A moment later it became even more intimately familiar with that material, in the shape of a blunt hammerhead that swung into its jaw and erased a substantial chunk of flesh, cartilage and tooth from existence, the Commander of the Order of Pumice returning the hammer to guard with no sign of concern in their body language, for there would certainly be none in the darkness of their hood. Sezorah leapt to the attack next, their wingkhopesh carving a bloody gash down the side of the creature's neck but missing its spine. It recoiled and dove away, resubmerging but not abandoning the assault.
Sezorah moved to pursue as the predator fled, but Nite restrained them, pointing out that their foe targeting those above water rather than below suggested something other than hunger drove its bloodlust, and that their place was with the boat, so the younger warrior should maintain their anchor management. Sezorah reluctantly recogised the wisdom in their rival's words and managed to ignore the pun, instead dipping their head below the water to instruct their peers to only attack the creature in self-defence, for this seemed to be a trial the three of them should answer. Lashanugi requested that the serpent be spared, pointing out that this was the first living thing the Tethysi had discovered in this realm, aside from those who had organised this race, but Jornir shouted it down, their normal patience shortened by recent loss and their long history of bitter feuding with all forms of dragonkin plain to see. Lashanugi returned to silence, though its discontent was plain.
Despite the arguments, the warriors were ready when the beast returned, heralded by a shrieking cry. It appeared at a distance, arcing in and out of the water in great loops until the water quaked and its hundreds of metres-long body formed a series of rings above the surface. Its wounded head appeared beyond those rings as it opened its jaws, bioluminescence or pure energy glowing between its scales before gathering in its throat and blasting forth towards the small boat. As the beam passed through each ring, it intensified, lightning and corposant coursing its coils with cacophonous cracks. Nite and Sezorah moved to respond, but the Commander of Pumice was faster, an Erasure Rifle emerging from their robes to be fired from the hip, the white beam of unmaking lancing out. No dramatic beam struggle followed, no detonation of colliding energy, for the emission of the rifle simply removed the incoming beam, a positive meeting a negative and smoothly resolving to zero. The dark hood turned sharply as movement revealed their vulnerability, the tip of the serpent's tail whipping out of the water to sweep across the boat. Two long quillarrows met it, causing a flinch that flung the tail barely overhead. Nite and Sezorah had conjured quillbows to fire on the distant head, but had been forced to avert their gaze from their peer's response, leaving them alert to the sneak attack. Seemingly abandoning such subterfuge, the serpent sped towards the boat like a torpedo, avoiding the next erasure shot and pushing through the arrows that began to pepper its snout and skull. Nite threw down their bow, ready to halt this strike as they had the first, but with a savage jerk the serpent spun to the side the moment before impact, throwing off the warrior's timing. When the head did emerge a moment later, its tongue came first, coiling around the Pun Crown Commander's shield-arm and pulling them in even as it drove forwards. Nite laughed, declaring their amusement to be chosen as a snackrifice, and stepped forwards, meeting the jaws with gauntlet and greave. Even the mightiest Full-Plot Armour of Tethys 13 began to instantly buckle and break at the dragonkin's sheer power, but it was enough that it lasted a few mere moments to hold the monster in place. Sezorah leapt high, voice raised in song, the song of how Seti zho Sunruler slew the Celestial Serpent sent to destroy the Tethysi. Their khopesh seemed to gleam gold and grow in size and power at this powerful allusion, and the beast's head was severed in one shining strike.
Nite and Sezorah embraced in this victory, and their joy and pride spread to those below the waves, who called out their approval of so dramatic a moment. All save Lashanugi. Saddened by what it saw as a needless death, still wounded from Sezorah's poorly chosen words and the deaths that had followed, Lashanugi departed without a word, fading from the race and the realm.
Seven remained to push the Shackleram and its three occupants to the next stage of the race.

[Resentine]

Scenario 2: Look! Something has caught the boats around you’s attention. There’s a ripple under the surface of the water, then eyes peering up at you. Suddenly, the head of a giant sea serpent emerges! What does your crew do?

The crew of the Deliverance mostly watched on in shock as the sea serpent rose out of the water, towering over the rambunctious destroyer. In the exception column, we once again find Resentine's King Claudius, fascinated by the massive creature.

"Take us closer!" the King shouted, shoving his personal camera into the hands of a Royal Naval Band member as he tried to sprint towards the front of the ship.
"If I can get a photo with it, this will be a huge hit at the next charity ball in the Royal Palace!"
Chamberlain Bedard sighed, and leaned over to the nearest sailor, "Uhhh go and uhh wake the former Prime Minister, he may be able to talk him out of this. I think he's ummmmmm napping in his quarters." The sailor rushed off to the crew quarters, while Alexander bravely marched off to stop the King from getting a selfie with the giant sea monster.
Though Claudius was forcefully slowed down from his rush to the front of the ship by members of the crew, he still managed to maneuver his way to the bow through a combination of begging and instructing while waving off the ship's captain every time she tried to turn away from the massive creature.
"Look, even if we just get a little closer, I think I can get a photo my wife would love! She's a huge fan of these sorts of wild animals!" Claudius said while the impromptu photographer sailor trembled in fear of the ever closer serpent.
"Your Grace," Alexander shouted, "I ummmmm really don't believe we should be uhhh getting much closer! The sea snake it looks..... well ummm it looks quite angry sir!"
"Oh what do you know about serpents Alex!?" Claudius retorted. "I've been playing with garden snakes since I was a young lad, well before you were born. I think I'm quite more capable to handle our approach this amazing creature." The King turned as he noticed the bow start to veer to port as the captain once again tried to turn away from the serpent. "No, No! Keep going towards! Forward!"

Gregory Glassner stormed toward the bow, with a gunnery lieutenant in tow, "You see that thing? Get our one working cannon pointed at it right now or else we might all be doomed!" he turned toward his King once the lieutenant was running off, furious. "Claudius, just what in the- are you trying to get everyone on this boat killed?!?!"
Claudius balked, "Well I just thought we'd have a little fun and adventure on this little boat party race thing, but apparently that's too much to ask in this day and age."
"That. Is. A. SEA. MONSTER! It. Sinks. Ships."
"And I want a photo of it!" Claudius exclaimed, getting ready to point his camera and the ominously glaring gargantuan creature.
Chamberlain Bedard stumbled to find his words "Ummmm sirs, it's uh... the creatu-"
"I'm telling the gunnery officer to fire the cannon, we can't risk the ship!" Glassner shouted. He then tried to run over to one of the ship's phone lines before Claudius grabbed him.
"Gregory, you can't do that! Think about the headlines! 'Resentine King shoots at bystander creature, will he shoot again?'" Claudius shouted back.
"Sirs I ummm..." Alexander struggled to find his words once more.
"We have almost a hundred people here on board this ship, headlines or no we cannot put them at risk!"
"What will the other leaders think!? Are we just going to start shooting at them on a whim as well?"
"I suspect they wouldn't mind our solution, we've got at least one over there summoning storms or something to make one go away! Look just let me-" the two friends stumbled over each other for the telephone.
"SIRS!" Alexander finally found his words, shutting both of his bosses down. "We've uhhh..... we've got company."

Unbeknownst to either the King or the former Prime Minister, the Sea Serpent they were both so worked up about slowly and silently made its way to the Deliverance, now casting its shadow directly over the vessel. All three men and the crew around them gulped as the massive beast reached its head down, hovering over the deck looking for something. For a few moments, you could hear a needle drop on the deck of the boat as the snake loomed, searching the deck. Instead of a needle, everyone heard the clamor of woodwind and brass instruments as the Serpent ducked its head into the bridge and grabbed a trombone from a pile of instruments that had been left out and about. The creature then promptly laid the trombone at Gregory Glassner's feet.
Chamberlain Bedard was the first to speak up, "Ummmmm Sirs I believe the creature intends for us to uhhh play a song."
Gregory responded, almost dismissively, "Yes I can see that Alex. I thought snakes couldn't hear music? I thought they didn't have the auditory capacity."
"Well sir perhaps ummm this one does? Can't be so sure, sir."
Claudius finally piped up, "Well, how about I go gather the band and we can see how this all plays out." He turned to the nearest sailor, "Go and gather the Band, make sure they have instruments handy." The crewman darted off with several of their compatriots.
Gregory refocused and made his way over to the ship's phone. "Let's make sure we're at least moving away from this creature while we try this thing."
"Fine," Claudius said with a pout, "but I'm still getting my photo!"
"Just make sure you turn the flash off." Gregory quipped.

The Royal Resentine Navy Band is going to play calming tunes to the Sea Serpent while the Deliverance maneuvers around the creature. Also King Claudius is going to get his photo from a distance.

[Skies]

Scenario 3: Uh oh! One of your competitors- does their flag jog any recognition to your people…?- has gotten caught on the rocks by the shoreline. Their boat is slowly drifting an arc, moving to block your path. What does your crew do?

[Halo]

We push the other boat out of our way with our oars and continue on.

Sorry! That's all I have time for today!

[Tethys 13]

Scenario 3: Uh oh! One of your competitors- does their flag jog any recognition to your people…?- has gotten caught on the rocks by the shoreline. Their boat is slowly drifting an arc, moving to block your path. What does your crew do?

Tragedy of the Shackleram: Chapter 3

The departure of Lashanugi only deepened the malignancy that had descended on the Grand Council since their isolation, which even the levity of their recent victory could not overcome. Conversation became scarcer and colder, casual camraderie all but killed. Worse, the entropic energies of the Land of the Dead were beginning to take their toll, Tethysian survival gear that could withstand everything from the vacuum of space to the depths of a volcanic trench (sometimes in a single descent) and was designed to last half a lifetime, beginning to pit and wear, corrode and decay. Nite and Sezorah showed the first signs in the boat, breaths coming shallower and dryer, both finding a need to dunk their heads over the side to breathe clearly in the salty waters. Nite was deteriorating more quickly, the rents in their armour from the serpent's jaws vectors for the land's malevolence. They remained the most jovial of the group, but weak jests about entrophy waiting for them at the end showed as forced. Elvand was similarly struggling below, their unfortunate health condition robbing them of the water that should be their breath, but an offer to take the place of one in the boat was denied. Elvand wanted no pity, and this trial would be completed. The Shackleram would be delivered, for the honour of Tethys 13.
So distracted were they by their own misfortunes that they at first did not notice their imperiled fellow competitor. As the other, larger boat began to drift into their path, its wood and metal hull showing even faster degradation than the Council's equipment and its occupants waving and shouting in concern, precious seconds were lost to bleary incomprehension, followed by precious more to furious disagreement. Whether to turn port or starboard, whether to bring the boat below the surface and then push it back up - if that were possible with their reduced numbers. Even as they began to quarrel, Sezorah put forwards a different view, one the others could not help but also think - that perhaps this was a trick, another scheme in this dread land. Afterwards, they argued over blame. Some said that it was too late to turn anyway, others that they chose the right path for their own safety, a few that they may have saved themselves from something worse. Still, the crunch of the Shackleram living up to its name and splitting the errant vessel in half, shattering its timbers and casting its occupants into the water, would make many of them them wince to recall in the following hours.
Strosz was most displeased, cursing their fellows even as the deed was done. The others kept pushing, kept looking forwards. "Very well," Strosz said into the silence, "then do not await me. I shall catch up." Without another word, the noble warrior kicked off from the keel and dove after the sinking crew. Though they said nothing of it, all who remained had the same feeling. They would never see Strosz again.
Six remained to push the Shackleram and its three occupants to the next stage of the race.

[Yoiiatin]

Lost in the Sea (Scenario 2): Quick turn the boat!! 4 squared is 16 add 32, so turn 48 degrees! Nater The 1st turns the boat a little too far at 60 degrees but the boat's edge barely skims the top of the water.
The entire crew sighs a relief for now from Skies. The god of the ocean. Maximus the 1st takes over with turn calculations for now to help make sure Nater The 1st is a bit closer with his math.

After this rather eventful day the crew turns on some music, Nater The 1st has recently found Sonne by Rammstein, so they turn it on and listen to relax for now. (Yes I finally found Sonne again after months of looking)
While the Nile river gods are relaxing and not trying to go against us. For being some travelers trying to find our way by to Osiris inside of Egypt.

Some backstory [BEFORE THE RACE]:

One night Nater The 1st and his crew were doing some maintence on the ship. The ship was undocked with both assistants & him.
Suddenly a giant wave of water came quickly and the ship was dragged for miles while everyone on board was passed out from the shock.

We stopped at a town we saw after we woke up and found out we were 100 miles east of Osiris in Egypt.
After finding out that we got some food out and then set sail for Osiris once again. Our second night is not much more eventful then this.

Scenario 3/Day 3: The day has not been very eventful today, we just had to move out boat out of the way of the other ship.
We will to win of course for the Nile gods & for Osiris too.

[Skies]

Scenario 5: Hmm… Through the chaos of the race events thus-far your boat has fallen behind. In order to catch up, you’re going to need some type of boost, competitor sabotage, or a full on miracle. What does your crew do?

[Guhrayen]

Belated Beginnings
ooc: all the details asked for in the op are incorporated into this post; written before prompt 5

Iridescent, pink hues sparkled in the sunlight which bore down upon the partially enclosed uppermost deck of a strange vessel plying the river waters. A crystalline cover there, replete with a stylish engraving depicting the movement of a chariot crossing an imagined moonlit sky, was the source of the brilliance; the rest of the boat was largely crafted from the far more humble teak wood. Indeed, besides that particular deck's decorative brilliance, the ship was stranger for its obvious occupants and their manners of being rather than for its construction. Narrow, sized long enough for only its three occupants comfortably, plus, perhaps, four more in an emergency, its movement powered by the tedious motions of a humanoid or similarly equipped creature atop a seat from which they could provide the necessary motor functions to operate the paddle wheel, minimum freeboard, a punt-like entry . . . such design elements were commonly seen in countless vessels constructed by the peoples of Guhrayen over the centuries. Lack of obvious decay signaled that it was a recent arrival in this land, but a swath of burn marks across its starboard hull wounded its otherwise elegant appearance.

Yes, this ship was not altogether unique, but its occupants and the situation they found themselves? That certainly was.

Sitting midships upon an elevated seat, furiously pedaling, was Musalu the Thrice-Hallowed, the towering glass golem who had founded and presided over the multi-imperial state for decades. Much like the crystalline cover, sunlight reflected brilliantly from him. Not from his surface, which it passed cleanly through, but an inner structure casting a silhouette not dissimilar to his outer one. Seeing this inner silhouette was a rare occasion for the two humans standing forward and aft of him, neither of whom had ever seen their leader reduced to wearing only a short, white linen schenti.

The one positioned forward, a pale woman of apparent middle age bedecked in jewels and quality white linens emblazoned with astrological symbols, looked ahead with evident concern as her gaze fell upon a wayward foreign vessel drifitng into their planned route along the river.

"Hydarnes, misfortune continues to follow us: one of the large metal boats will soon be in our way. It is coming up on the port side."

Rousing himself slightly, Hydarnes, a handsome dark-skinned young man in far more flashy yellow and emerald garb, complete with a wide-brimmed hat that screamed of redundancy under the shade cast by the cover above his head, and who appeared closer to Musalu in age than the navigation expert calling to him, glanced away from the chiseled pseudo-muscular back of the Thrice-Hallowed and down to the simple aft rudder, the operation of which was his new role on this journey following their earlier pedal troubles (they had become jammed in some waterborn foliage that only the supernatural strength of Musalu taking up the pedaling resolved via sheer force).

"Aye, Manijeh. Shifting route starboard."

As he made the necessary adjustments via a short back-and-forth with the Astrologer-Seer, he could not help but wish that Musalu would say something, but their leader only peered intensely forward toward the horizon and the race's presumed finish line. The Overseer spoke very rarely and usually when absolutely necessary. It was not an attractive feature and sometimes featured itself to be the source of otherwise avoidable disputes or problems, as far as Hydarnes was privately concerned. Not that he'd ever articulate such thoughts to Musalu, who he had only entered the good graces of rather recently after being observed from a much larger ship than this engaged in fishing. Apparently, the Overseer had been impressed with both his swimming and use of magick to procure his catch that day. Said magicks had come in handy for engaging a large sea serpent in what started off as relatively pleasant conversation not long ago on the trio's current voyage, but once it became clear the beast was attempting to scam Manijeh out of one of her pearls and wouldn't take no for an answer, well, that was when the cold fire Musalu wrought had been necessary to scare it away.

"Hydarnes: if any of the drifting vessel's people are at risk of drowning, you shall invite two of them onboard when we pass the foreigners," said Musalu.

Hydarnes sighed audibly, hoped the foreigners could take care of themselves, and silently wished he had not thought his Overseer's sudden verbalization into existence. They would never catch up at this rate!

[Halo]

For Scenario 5
The dahabiya cut steadily through the Nile, but the rival boats had found stronger currents and favorable winds. One by one they slipped ahead until Prince Nebemakhet's royal vessel trailed behind, the cheers from the riverbanks growing distant.

The captain looked grim.

"My Prince," said Menka, "our crew rows with all their strength, yet the others continue to pull away."

Nebemakhet stood silently at the prow, his golden staff in hand. He gazed across the sacred waters and then toward the brilliant sun overhead.

He raised his staff high.

"O mighty Ra, Lord of the Sun, whose bark crosses the heavens each day! Shine your divine favor upon those who honor Ma'at. Let your light strengthen our hands and reveal the swiftest path through your sacred river!"

For a heartbeat, the Nile remained unchanged.

Then the sunlight blazed brighter than before. A shaft of golden radiance pierced the river ahead, illuminating a hidden channel that none of the other captains had seen. The waters there looked like they flowed faster. Hori consulted his charts and indeed ancient notations suggested a never-used, near mythical passage that he had not noticed.

"To the golden water!" cried the captain.

The helmsman swung the rudder, and the royal vessel entered the shining current. Instantly the dahabiya surged forward, overtaking one rival after another as astonished crews watched the prince's ship glide past with effortless grace.

Nebemakhet lowered his staff but kept his eyes fixed upon the horizon.

"Give thanks to Ra," he said calmly. "The gods have opened the way—but it is our hands that must carry us to victory."

With renewed determination, the crew answered as one:

"For Ra! For Osiris! Row!"

The dahabiya leapt ahead, closing the gap with the leaders as the sacred waters themselves seemed to hasten the prince toward glory.