The Ship Scurry

Once a year, the shipwrights of the Merchant Isle each send their best vessel to Riggen to compete in a race around the island. The winner is awarded a contract with the Conglomerate to make new ships for each Prince. This is a very well paying contract and gives great renown to the shipwright that wins. Although there are rules to the tournament, such as no cannon fighting during the race, there is still plenty of sabotage and subversion that goes on both leading up to and during the Ship Scurry. Common sabotage includes sneaking into the shipyards to damage the ships themselves, hiring or bribing sailors to get onto the others ships, or setting traps in the water for the others to get caught on during the race. As such, there is often an uptick in the hiring of mercenaries for security around the time of the Ship Scurry, bringing more trade and money to the isles for those brave enough to take on these roles.