Valentin Massoni was a French soldier stationed in the colony of Oxbay during the 1630 French occupation. Nathaniel Hawk, who was working for Governor Silehard at this time, got Massoni drunk in order to extract information from him. In order to lure Massoni into the jungle Nathaniel claimed to have attractive female relatives living on the outskirts of Oxbay.
When Massoni found out that he had been tricked he threatened to attack Nathaniel but, as Nathaniel commented, he was "too drunk to stand, let alone fight". Massoni was hired to escort the barque Oiseau to Falaise de Fleur, where it would be loaded with ammunition and returned to Oxbay.