William Hoscut was a Scottish sailor who served as first mate of the Obra Dinn during its final voyage in 1802. He died when Captain Robert Witterel shot him during a failed mutiny.[1]
Story[]
Hoscut was first mate of the Obra Dinn and was assisted by his steward, Paul Moss. His role was to act as Captain Witterel's second-in-command and so was usually seen with the captain, carrying out his orders. Hoscut was the brother of Abigail Hoscut Witterel, the captain's wife, making him Captain Witterel's brother-in-law.
Hoscut was first seen watching the execution of Hok-Seng Lau, a Formosan guard guilty of a murder he did not commit, alongside the captain and the other mates.[2] When the Obra Dinn was attacked by Beasts, he helped arm and organize the crew to slay the creatures, while Captain Witterel acted decisively to prevent the ship's destruction by the Kraken by killing the mermaids who had summoned it. These incidents shook the surviving crew's faith in Witterel's leadership.
To Hoscut's anger, one of the Kraken's victims was his sister Abigail, fatally injured after being struck by a piece of the ship's rigging. Hoscut, along with seaman Henry Brennan and topman Lewis Walker, was later seen joining Captain Witterel in attempting to intervene when Leonid Volkov attempted to prevent surgeon Henry Evans and his party from escaping.[3]
Hoscut's friend and pupil, Midshipman Thomas Lanke, happened to overheard Gunner's Mate Olus Wiater and Fourth Mate John Davies planning mutiny and panicked, shouting "Mutiny!" at the top of his lungs. Wiater stabbed Lanke in the back with his knife, and a horrified Davies managed to wrest control of Wiater's pistol from him and avenge Lanke by shooting Wiater in the face. The resulting disturbance attracted the attention of Hoscut, Brennan, and Walker; Brennan, believing Davies to be a murderer, bludgeoned him to death with a bo'sun's club, while Hoscut rushed to Lanke's aid.[4] He screamed for Brennan to get the surgeon's kit, but it was too late and Lanke bled to death.[5]
By this time, only a handful of survivors were left; Hoscut led Brennan and Walker to confront a crazed Captain Witterel and demand that he hand over the shells in his possession, to which the captain angrily replied that he had already thrown them overboard.[1] Not believing him, Hoscut moved to hack through the locked entrance to the captain's quarters with a hatchet when the door suddenly opened, giving Witterel an opening to fatally shoot his treacherous First Mate dead with a pistol.
Though Hoscut did not kill anyone aboard the Obra Dinn, the HEIC investigation uncovered his failed attempt at mutiny.[6] (This attempt was unrelated to the mutiny discussed in chapter IX, Escape.) Hoscut's exact motives for this mutiny are listed as unknown, though it is speculated to be related to the missing shells. His estate is fined £25 for attempted mutiny.[6]
It seems that Hoscut and Witterel were quite close, as Witterel referred to Hoscut as a friend while lamenting his death.[7]
Identification[]
Hoscut can be identified after The End, part 4 when Captain Witterel mentions that he shot his wife's brother. According to the crew manifest, there was a woman on board with the last name "Hoscut Witterel", making her the captain's wife. It can therefore be deduced that her maiden name of Hoscut must also be her brother's last name.
Although the game does not unblur his face until after The End, part 4, Hoscut can technically be identified after The End, part 1, from his strong Scottish accent and uniform. The only other Scottish officer on board, the purser, would not wear this kind of uniform (nor stand next to the Captain during an execution).
Hoscut can also be identified in Escape, part 1 when he is seen leaving his quarters. Since only the first mate is allowed to occupy the first mate's quarters and the room was otherwise left undisturbed, only Hoscut could have exited the room.
Appearances[]
Hoscut appears in 14 memories. Chronologically, he first appears in Murder, part 2. He is first introduced to the player in The End, part 1. He dies in the same part and is the first character whose death the chief inspector witnesses. His corpse is among those still on the ship when she drifts back into Falmouth.
- Murder, part 2
- Unholy Captives, part 1
- Unholy Captives, part 2
- Unholy Captives, part 4
- Soldiers of the Sea, part 4
- Soldiers of the Sea, part 5
- Soldiers of the Sea, part 7
- Escape, part 1
- Escape, part 2
- Escape, part 3
- Escape, part 4
- Escape, part 5
- Escape, part 6
- The End, part 1
- The Justice at Sea sketch
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The End, part 1
- ↑ Murder, part 2
- ↑ Escape, part 2
- ↑ Escape, part 5
- ↑ Escape, part 6
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Stated in the insurance assessment book in the epilogue if Hoscut's fate is deduced correctly.
- ↑ The End, part 4