History

Early Exploration (1600–1620)

The earliest known encounters with the Beauval Isles came long before any permanent settlement. Breton fishermen working along the southern trade currents first charted the islands in 1602, describing a chain of warm, fertile lands marked by unusual red soil and teeming with wildlife. Though no European nation made immediate claims, the Isles quickly gained a quiet reputation among coastal sailors as a safe harbor and rich hunting ground.

By 1610, northern Native tribes began incorporating the Beauval Isles into seasonal migrations, traveling south to gather shells, fish the warmer waters, and hunt the abundant deer and waterfowl. Their temporary camps left only faint traces, but oral traditions preserved detailed knowledge of the isles’ rivers, forests, and landmarks.

French interest deepened in 1618, when cartographers officially recorded the region as Les Isles Beauval (“The Beautiful Valley Isles”). Despite their promising resources and strategic coastal position, the islands remained unclaimed and largely untouched for another generation — a quiet frontier waiting to be contested.

First Colonial Contact (1620–1650)

French presence on the Beauval Isles began tentatively in the early 17th century. In 1623, a small expeditionary party landed on the southeastern shores, conducting brief surveys of the rivers, forests, and coastal inlets. Though the terrain proved promising, the group departed within weeks, leaving only crude markers and a handful of journals behind.

A more sustained attempt followed in 1631, when Sun God Luminaries established a modest outpost aimed at evangelizing Native visitors who seasonally traveled through the region. The mission struggled from the outset; disease and supply shortages forced its abandonment within a year, leaving the Isles once again unoccupied.

French interest revived when mineral surveyors in 1644 identified notable traces of copper and iron along the western cliffs. This discovery renewed commercial attention, drawing traders and fur men eager to exploit the untouched resources. By 1649, a fledgling trading post—primitive and lightly defended—was constructed on the southeastern isle. Though small, this outpost marked the first continuous European foothold in Beauval and laid the foundation for what would later grow into New Bordeaux.

During this period, contact between French parties and Native travelers remained sporadic but largely peaceful, with both sides treating the islands as a seasonal frontier rather than claimed territory. This delicate balance would shift as permanent settlement grew inevitable.

Foundations of Settlement (1650–1680)

The mid-17th century marked the true beginning of permanent colonization on the Beauval Isles. In 1653, the French Crown approved the formation of the Compagnie de Beauval, granting it authority to oversee trade, resource extraction, and settlement across the archipelago. With formal backing secured, French families, craftsmen, and fur traders began to arrive in small but steady numbers.

By 1658, the hamlet of New Bordeaux emerged as the first formal settlement, built atop the earlier trading post. A wooden palisade was erected to protect against storms, wildlife, and the occasional hostile encounter, marking the settlement’s gradual shift from frontier outpost to organized community. The next decade saw the steady arrival of trappers, hunters, and subsistence farmers who cleared land for crops and carved rough trails between the isles.

Relations with Native groups, however, grew increasingly strained. By 1672, disputes over hunting grounds and resource rights became more frequent as French settlers expanded inland. While open conflict was rare, tensions simmered beneath every encounter, shaping the fragile political landscape of the region.

Amid this expansion, the French recognized the strategic importance of guarding the island chain’s southern waterways. In 1679, construction began on Fort Marseau, a timber stronghold positioned to defend the bay and secure shipping routes against rival colonial powers. Its completion marked the end of the Isles’ purely exploratory era and the beginning of a fortified French foothold—one increasingly vital to New France’s ambitions in the frontier.

Tensions & Territorial Rivalries (1680–1700)

As French settlement solidified, the Beauval Isles entered a period defined by rising competition and political unease. By the early 1680s, British privateers operating out of Cantermagne and the Caribbean increasingly targeted French shipping lines, viewing the Isles as an unguarded waypoint between Québec and the Atlantic. The first recorded raid occurred in 1683, when a British sloop seized a supply vessel bound for New Bordeaux, prompting heightened vigilance across the archipelago.

The French response was swift. New Bordeaux’s aging wooden palisade—damaged in storms and strained by population growth—was destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1689. Seizing the opportunity, local officials rebuilt the defenses using stone and reinforced timber, transforming the once-humble settlement into a more resilient administrative center.

To secure the inland routes, Fort de Belcourt was established in 1691. Positioned strategically above the central forests, it acted as both a militia barracks and an early-warning station against incursions from rival colonial powers. Its presence further anchored French authority on the Isles, though it also signaled to the British that Beauval would not be easily contested.

Throughout the 1690s, diplomatic tensions between France and Britain ebbed and flowed, culminating in the Treaty of Ryswick (1697). While the treaty momentarily eased hostilities, it did little to resolve the underlying struggle for influence in the region. The Beauval Isles remained officially French—but the shadow of British ambition loomed larger than ever, setting the stage for the conflicts that would soon engulf the entire frontier.

The War of the Frontier (1700–1713)

The dawn of the 18th century thrust the Beauval Isles into the wider storm of imperial conflict sweeping across North America. As tensions between France and Britain reignited, the Isles—positioned along key maritime routes and rich in untapped resources—became a strategic battleground.

In 1702, British forces attempted their first organized landing on the northern isles. Though the assault was limited in scale, the attack caught local settlers off guard. The French militia, aided by Native warriors familiar with the terrain, managed to repel the landing after several hours of skirmishing along the beaches. The victory strengthened the fragile alliance between French administrators and the Native inhabitants of Irosonee End, who thereafter gained recognized autonomy in return for shared defense.

The conflict simmered for the next several years. In 1710, the discovery of substantial copper veins along the western shoreline heightened the Isles’ economic and strategic value, drawing renewed attention from both colonial powers. French efforts to fortify their holdings intensified, while British privateers and scouts increased their pressure on outlying camps and merchant vessels.

Amid this instability, the Sunfire Rebellion erupted on the mainland in 1712, sending fragments of unrest spilling into Beauval. Rebel sympathizers fleeing Québec sparked isolated clashes with loyalist militias, further straining the region’s limited manpower. Though brief, the unrest exposed how vulnerable the Isles remained to turmoil from both within and without.

The conflict formally cooled with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), which reshaped much of the colonial landscape. While France ceded vast territories elsewhere, the Beauval Isles remained one of its few surviving southern holdings—a small but vital foothold in an increasingly contested frontier. The war’s end offered no lasting peace, merely a pause before the next struggle.

Rebuilding & Consolidation (1713–1719)

The end of the War of the Frontier and the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) ushered in a rare period of stability for the Beauval Isles. Though scarred by skirmishes, raids, and years of military strain, the region remained firmly under French control—one of the few southern holdings to survive intact. With external threats temporarily eased, colonial leadership turned its focus toward rebuilding and modernization.

New Bordeaux, long the administrative heartbeat of the Isles, was formally elevated in 1714 to a regional capital. Construction flourished: warehouses expanded, markets grew, and civic structures took shape along the waterfront. The settlement finally began to resemble a permanent colony rather than a tenuous outpost.

The following year brought one of the most significant structural changes in Beauval’s history. Recognizing that the aging wooden forts scattered across the isles were no longer suitable for modern defense, French engineers recommended a complete overhaul of regional fortifications. In 1715, the deteriorating stronghold near the central channel—long considered obsolete—was torn down to make way for a new, more formidable bastion.

The Citadel of Aimée

In its place rose the Citadel of Aimée, named in honor of a beloved daughter of a high-ranking colonial officer who perished during the earlier conflicts. Built from reinforced stone and fitted with improved gun emplacements, the Citadel became the most advanced defensive structure in the southern frontier. Its walls commanded sweeping views of the bay, allowing it to serve as both a military fortress and a symbol of renewed French strength. The Citadel’s completion marked a turning point, transforming Beauval from a vulnerable settlement into a declared stronghold of Nouvelle-France.

Alongside these military reforms, 1715 also saw the consolidation of local defense forces into the newly formalized Beauval Regional Militia Corps, which used the Citadel as its administrative and logistical anchor.

The remainder of the decade brought steady growth. A series of prosperous harvests beginning in 1717 revitalized the colonies: tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and orchard crops thrived in the warm climate, reducing reliance on imports and encouraging internal trade between the isles.

Yet nature proved as unpredictable as war. In 1719, severe coastal storms ravaged fishing fleets and battered shoreline settlements, briefly threatening the Isles’ fragile economic recovery. Thanks to the new Citadel’s supply reserves and leadership, disaster was contained—but the storms served as a reminder of how delicate life on the frontier remained.

Economic Expansion & Smuggling Era (1720–1724)

The early 1720s marked a period of both rapid growth and rising lawlessness across the Beauval Isles. With the Citadel of Aimée completed and the region’s defenses strengthened, settlers and traders turned their ambitions toward inland expansion and coastal commerce.

In 1720, the French Crown granted new land titles along the northern and eastern shores, prompting the founding of Lillesand, a small agricultural village known for its fertile riverbanks and tidy orchards. Lillesand quickly became a waypoint for settlers traveling between New Bordeaux and the interior forests, developing a reputation for peace and self-reliance.

Not all settlements fared so well. The older hamlet of Rockledge, perched dangerously close to eroding cliffs on the western isle, suffered a catastrophic collapse after weeks of heavy storms in 1721. Several homes were destroyed, and the remaining inhabitants—displaced and exhausted—abandoned the site entirely. Rockledge’s fall became a cautionary tale of frontier unpredictability, its ruins slowly reclaimed by wind and sea.

During this same period, relations between French settlers and Native communities entered a new phase of cooperation. To encourage stable trade and reduce territorial disputes, colonial officials sanctioned the creation of the Sevrin Trading Post in 1722. Located along a natural crossroads between Native hunting grounds and French supply routes, Sevrin became a thriving marketplace for furs, copper goods, produce, and crafted wares. It stood as one of the few officially recognized meeting points between the two cultures, fostering an uneasy but valuable peace.

However, prosperity bred shadows. The abundance of goods flowing through Beauval began attracting opportunists. By 1723, small smugglers’ camps had taken root in secluded coves and marsh inlets, trafficking in British contraband, untaxed spirits, and stolen copper. Colonial authorities struggled to quash these networks, especially as some settlers quietly benefited from the illicit trade.

In response to growing criminal activity, the regional administration established a dedicated prison camp on a remote stretch of southern coastline in 1724. Intended for smugglers, pirates, and repeat offenders, the camp was infamous for its harsh conditions and unforgiving isolation. Prisoners were put to labor on roads, quarries, and lumber works—an attempt both to punish and to fuel Beauval’s ongoing development.

Though the era ended with the colony stronger than ever, it also seeded the unrest and vulnerabilities that would shape its future. The next decade would see the Isles tested by forces both foreign and homegrown.

Collapse of French Authority & British Occupation (1724–1725)

The closing days of 1724 brought upheaval unlike anything the Beauval Isles had endured. For nearly a century, the Nouvelle France Company (NFC) had been the governing force of the region—levying taxes, funding the militia, administering trade, and maintaining the fragile balance between French settlers and the native inhabitants. But mounting debts, mismanagement, and the slow bleed of war elsewhere in the colonies finally broke the Company’s resolve.

On December 14th, 1724, the NFC issued a sweeping directive that would reshape the destiny of Beauval: all holdings were to be abandoned, all personnel recalled, all operations dissolved. No preparation, no transition of authority—only immediate and total withdrawal.

The exodus was sudden and chaotic. Company ships departed under heavy guard; offices were shuttered, records burned or ferried away, and salaries left unpaid. Remote settlements such as Lillesand and the Native community at Irosonee End received no formal notice at all. Their first sign of abandonment was the silence that followed—no supply ships, no returning magistrates, no patrols from the Citadel of Aimée.

Without the Company, Beauval was thrust into a vacuum. Local councils argued bitterly over authority, while militia captains—long accustomed to NFC command—found themselves directionless and divided. Smugglers took advantage of the confusion, resurrecting abandoned coves as staging grounds for contraband. Merchants in New Bordeaux saw their credit evaporate overnight, and the Sevrin Trading Post, once a lively meeting ground, dwindled to a shadow of its former bustle as mistrust grew along its paths.

It was into this fragile moment that the British Crown inserted its influence. Early in 1725, British cutters and troopships arrived without resistance, their presence justified as an effort to “restore stability” to a lawless frontier. Redcoats disembarked in New Bordeaux, raised the Union Jack over the Citadel of Aimée, and quickly established provisional governance. French settlers were compelled to swear oaths of loyalty, while British stewards rewrote tax codes and restructured colonial administration with a firm and unsentimental hand.

For many French inhabitants, the occupation was a bitter pill—some viewed it as salvation after months of uncertainty, while others saw it as the final insult, the loss of a homeland their families had carved from wilderness. The Native peoples of Irosonee End found themselves caught once more between powers, unsure whether British promises would mirror—much less honor—the treaties long held under the NFC.

But perhaps the greatest consequence of the transition was instability at sea. During the handover, patrol routes lapsed, coastal watch posts went unmanned, and the militia’s authority crumbled. This window of vulnerability proved irresistible to the Black Coast Brotherhood, a rising confederation of pirate crews searching for a foothold. Within weeks, they struck with unprecedented boldness: seizing Mackay Bay, burning its docks, and turning its sheltered waters into a citadel of their own.

By the time British forces reorganized, the pirates were entrenched, smuggling networks had grown bolder, and Beauval was no longer simply a colonial outpost—it had become the crossroads of empire, rebellion, and lawlessness.

The Invasion of Beauval (1725)

In early 1725, France launched a two-column expedition to reclaim the Beauval Isles from British occupation. Both forces landed at Mackay Bay, scattering the pirate bands that held the harbor and securing a base for the push inland.

The northern column, led by Duke Philippe de Montclair and Hendrix Mercier, advanced first. After seizing the prison compound from a light British skirmishing force, it became their headquarters for the campaign. From there, they pushed through the emptied village of Lillesand and encircled the British fort, which housed several militia companies and a contingent of Highlanders. Before the French siege works were complete, British reinforcements attempted to reach the fort but were intercepted and broken on the Lillesand road. As morning fog rolled in, Montclair and Mercier ordered an assault on the gate, routing the garrison. The fleeing defenders collided with late-arriving British reinforcements near the Sevrin Trading Post, but their improvised counterattack collapsed, and the French drove them into the sea and onto their boats.

Meanwhile, the southern column under Primarque Ragen Silver advanced on New Bordeaux, where the British governor held the settlement with the Royal Rifles, grenadiers, and militia. A brutal, house-to-house struggle followed, but by evening the British withdrew by boat through Beauval Bay.

With both British strongholds broken, the French columns reunited at the Citadel of Aimée, raising the French banner and restoring control over the Beauval Isles within days.

Present Day (1725)

The Beauval Isles in 1725 are stabilizing under renewed French rule. The invasion has ended the British occupation, and authority has shifted to the senior commanders who led the reconquest. The Citadel of Aimee now functions as the seat of power, where French officers work to restore order and rebuild the settlements that suffered during the last year of unrest.

Duke Philippe de Montclair remains the central figure in the region. His leadership during the landings and the northern campaign earned him broad support among settlers and militia alike. The Duke now oversees the civil and military administration of Beauval while planning the long-term structure that will keep the Isles loyal and secure. His intention is to divide the archipelago into a series of fiefs that can be granted to officers who proved their loyalty during the reconquest. These lands will form a permanent noble presence in Beauval and ensure that the region is guarded by men with personal stakes in its stability.

Among these officers, Hendrix Mercier has become one of the most prominent. His role in the northern drive, including the actions at Lillesand and the fort, earned him the trust of both soldiers and civilians. Mercier commands several of the patrols now clearing pirate remnants along the western coast, and he is expected to receive one of the first fiefdoms once the Duke finalizes his plans.

New Bordeaux is slowly returning to life as the principal town of the Isles. Lillesand is being resettled, and the Sevrin Trading Post is once again open to merchants and native traders. Pirates remain active in scattered coves, but their presence is shrinking as French patrols tighten their control.

British forces have fully withdrawn and no longer hold influence in the region. Even so, the Duke and his officers remain cautious, knowing that the peace in Beauval is young and dependent on the strength of those who hold it.

Geography & Environment

The Beauval Isles consist of three major landmasses and several smaller satellite islets scattered across the southern frontier. The region is known for its warm, forgiving climate, making it one of the most hospitable areas in the archipelago. Gentle breezes from the Beauval Channel keep the summers mild, while winters are shorter and far less severe than those found farther north.

The isles are dominated by rolling forests of maple, birch, and pine, broken by meadows, marsh inlets, and fertile valleys. Freshwater streams flow from the interior toward the coast, creating natural crossings and supporting small agricultural plots. Wildlife is abundant, including deer, foxes, owls, rabbits, and seasonal flocks of waterfowl.

The southeastern and northern isles have beaches and soft shores suited for settlement and fishing, while the southwestern island contains steeper bluffs that shelter Fort Marseau. Despite their generally pleasant climate, the Beauval Isles remain vulnerable to sudden coastal storms that roll in from the open sea.

Economy & Resources

Agriculture

The warm climate and fertile soil support small-scale farms producing tomatoes, peppers, carrots, wheat, and orchard crops. Most settlements maintain shared fields or private plots.

Forestry

Maple, birch, and pine forests provide lumber for construction in New Bordeaux and for fortifications at Marseau and the Citadel. The woodworking trade thrives, supplying tools, barrels, and furniture throughout the region.

Hunting & Trapping

The forests hold deer, foxes, rabbits, and other small game that form the backbone of the local survival economy. Feathers, hides, and furs remain profitable exports.

Fishing

The surrounding waters are rich with salmon, flounder, bass, pike, and walleye. Fishing fleets operate mainly from New Bordeaux, supplying both local markets and trade routes.

Mining

Beauval holds deposits of copper, iron, and lead. While less abundant than those on Cantermagne, these ores remain vital to local smiths and the broader colonial economy.

Trade & Exchange

Beauval acts as a southern trade hub. Goods flow between French settlements, native communities at Sevrin, and distant outposts across the channel. Smuggling persists in spite of French patrols, especially in the marshy inlets and western coves.

Military & Governance Economy

Since the reconquest, military presence has driven significant economic activity. Patrols, construction crews, and supply caravans create steady demand for food, tools, timber, and metalwork. Plans to divide the Isles into fiefs for loyal officers will further reshape land ownership and labor distribution.