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- "Port Oxbay was a typical Caribbean English colony. Bustling, prosperous and peaceful. Until a squadron appeared like ghosts from the fog. A squadron under French colors."
- ―Unknown
The Invasion of Oxbay was an attack of the French Royal Navy on the English colony of Oxbay in the South Caribbean archipelago in 1630. The Oxbay settlement remained under French hands for a time until its recapture by the English navy under Governor Robert Silehard of Redmond's orders.
Siege of Oxbay[]
- "A French squadron captured the English colony, Oxbay. The French succeeded because the fort's defenses were so weak. I escaped only by great good fortune....(b)y chance, I noticed someone else also managed to escape the French. I saw a ship sailing away from the bay. I wonder who the captain was."
- ―Nathaniel Hawk's journal
The conflict began with the assault of a French fleet on the small port of Oxbay colony. Several English ships rushed to its aid, but fell under the greater numbers and firepower of their adversaries. Within half an hour, the colony succumbed to French control, and a trio of warships was kept moored in the bay to stave off any attackers.
During the carnage, a lugger, the Victory - under the command of captain Nathaniel Hawk - evaded French fire and managed to flee to the nearby English colony of Redmond. Nathaniel also noticed another ship escape. He then sailed for Redmond to inform its governor, Sir Robert Christopher Silehard, of the attack. Short of warships, the governor commandeered Nathaniel's ship and pressed him to service, ordering him to sneak into Oxbay as an undercover agent and obtain any valuable information he could gather.
Infiltrating Oxbay[]
- "As a new face in these waters, my hope is that you may be the key to securing more information about the French forces. From the neighboring colony on the island, you can cross through the jungle and penetrate the walls of the city, and there discover more from the local citizens. Perhaps you'd even be able to eavesdrop on the French troops themselves."
- ―Governor Silehard to Nathaniel Hawk
Nathaniel followed the governor's orders, despite initially hesitating, and chose a different part of the island to anchor the Victory to avoid the guns of the French-controlled fort of Oxbay.
After combing the jungle, Nathaniel arrived at Oxbay's outskirts and was questioned by two guards. Suspicious of Nathaniel's intentions, the guards attacked him but were slain. Nathaniel discreetly entered the town's tavern and questioned the barkeeper Everard Gordon of the current whereabouts. Desperate to help liberate the colony, Everard conspired with Nathaniel to intoxicate a nearby French officer, Valentin Massoni, in the hopes that he would divulge information.
Nathaniel leads a drunken Massoni to the jungle.
Nathaniel volunteered to work for Valentin as a navigator and joined his table. He ordered round after round of drinks while tempting Valentin to leave the town by lying about visiting his female cousins in the outskirts. The officer, thirsty for female company, agreed to join him, until finding out that they were lost in the jungle. Nathaniel subsequently interrogated the Frenchman, who was unable to fight due to his condition. The officer told Nathaniel that a barque named Oiseau was to deliver ammunition to Oxbay from the French colony of Falaise de Fleur. Although Nathaniel allowed him to return to town, Valentin alarmed the garrison and Nathaniel had to escape to his ship.
Intercepting the Oiseau[]
- "I showed the letter of identification to the harbor master, and he introduced me to Virgile Boon. Now we are ready to put to sea at any moment. I hope that during the sail I'll be able to snatch the opportunity to board or sink Virgile's wash-tub."
- ―Nathaniel's journal
Nathaniel returned to Redmond with the news and was rewarded by Silehard for his success. After this, the governor tasked him to sink or capture the Oiseau. Nathaniel sailed to Falaise de Fleur and, upon entering the port, found from the local Faustin Gasquet that the barque was to be escorted by the brig Le Requin, captained by Amiel Berangere. A disgruntled Amiel, who felt underpaid, accepted a bribe of 3000 gold from Nathaniel in the tavern to pass the task to him instead.
The Victory attacks the Oiseau.
Taking Amiel's documents with him, Nathaniel talked to the harbormaster and set sail with the Oiseau's captain, Virgile Boon, to Oxbay. During the voyage, Nathaniel ambushed the barque, eventually managing to sink or capture her. He then returned to Redmond to inform the governor of his success. Impressed with his competence, Silehard then sent him on another task - to escort captain Ewan Glover to Oxbay to land a detachment of troops on the shore of Gray Rock Bay, and meet with a double agent named Tobias in Oxbay town.
Skirmish on Gray Rock Bay[]
- "My second task is to escort the sloop 'Albion' to Oxbay. There is a regiment of English soldiers who are going to harass the French....(w)hen I am done with that mission, I'll have to sneak into the captured town of Oxbay and meet there a certain English agent."
- ―Nathaniel's journal
English and French soldiers clash.
Nathaniel met Ewan in Redmond's port and accompanied his sloop, the Albion, to Greenford colony on Oxbay. One of the town's locals, Wilfred, gave some instructions to Nathaniel under orders from Silehard, such as the directions to Gray Rock Bay and that the attack must occur at night. Nathaniel and Ewan spent the rest of the day in the tavern where Ewan told him some stories about his career and a secret operation by Silehard involving the alleged misuse of a powerful frigate for his own personal purposes. Upon nightfall, the two headed for Gray Rock Bay, and after landing the detachment, several French soldiers attacked.
Nathaniel helped the English ward off the attack, and afterwards went back to Greenford with Ewan before heading to Oxbay settlement for the second part of the mission.
Escape with Tobias[]
- "I recently learned that a French captain lost a small fortune at backgammon. You're familiar with the game?"
"Of course - but what does it have to do with your mission?"
"I became acquainted with this captain, yes? Won his trust. And he told me he'd lost such a lot of money that he'd never be able to pay it off. Indeed, he was prepared to take his own life when I offered him another way out of his predicament. I offered to pay his debt myself if he would sail his ship to Redmond and give it up to our soldiers. He agreed." - ―Tobias and Nathaniel
Upon entering Oxbay colony, Nathaniel found the agent Tobias in the upper level of the tavern, disguised as a French officer in the farthest table. Shortly after conversing with him, three French soldiers walked inside and attacked them, but were killed. Knowing that the garrison was now after them, the pair ran to Oweyn McDorey's shipyard while Nathaniel's former boatswain Malcolm Hatcher distracted a few soldiers by fighting them. Oweyn offered to hide the two by having them climb up a ladder to a secluded storage area in the building as the French entered and found no one in sight.
Nathaniel hiding in Oweyn's shipyard.
Thanking Oweyn for his help, Nathaniel was asked by the shipwright to deliver a mysterious closed chest to Redmond's tavern keeper. Tobias and Nathaniel waited for nightfall before sneaking back into the tavern to rendezvous with Rabel Yverneau, a French captain turned rogue after losing his fortune to a game of backgammon. Rabel agreed to transport the two spies to Redmond aboard his corvette the Rivoli under the promise of reward by the English.
The Rivoli escaping Oxbay.
Nathaniel and Tobias accompanied Rabel to the ship pretending to be his friends, but this disguise was short-lived. The port guards grew suspicious of them and attacked - the three had to run to the ship. Under heavy fire from the fort and the nearby Oxbay squadron, the Rivoli used her superior speed to outpace the enemy warships and soon successfully slipped from their grasp.
Liberation of Oxbay[]
- "I escaped from the French squadron, returned to the governor and got the gold I earned. The governor decided that I should take part in the liberation of Oxbay. I can't say that I very happy about his decision. Of course, I've no objection to a little fighting...but not for the English crown."
- ―Nathaniel's journal
With the three safely in Redmond, Governor Silehard delivered the reward to Nathaniel as promised, and informed him that he would need to take part in the liberation of Oxbay, which the English fleet was currently preparing for. Before the attack, Nathaniel went to the tavern to rest and deliver Oweyn's chest, but was intercepted by two pirates who demanded it from him. When Nathaniel refused, they attacked him and he discovered that neither bullet nor blade could hurt them. Realizing that he had no choice, Nathaniel surrendered the chest to them and they left, telling him that whoever set him up was putting his life in danger.
Silehard releasing Nathaniel from prison.
Upon entering the tavern, Nathaniel found his partner Danielle Greene with her friend Ralph Fawn. Subsequently, several English soldiers arrived to arrest the trio, and when Nathaniel questioned them, they attacked. Ralph was killed in the fight, and Danielle escaped - Nathaniel, on the other hand, was imprisoned despite declaring his allegiance to the governor.
Silehard entered the prison and hastily ordered Nathaniel's release, profusely apologizing for the mistake - he had intended to arrest Danielle instead. When he invited Nathaniel to his study to discuss another mission he had for him, he informed Nathaniel that Oxbay had just recently been freed. From that time on, English ships could once again safely trade with, and moor in, the colony of Oxbay.