New Moon Pact

The New Moon Pact was a militant holy order of lycanthropes that were devoted to Selûne. Although it successfully fought against the Moonmaiden's foes for millennia, it was laid low by a conspiracy of their fellow Selûnites.
==Activities==
The Pact was active in north, west, and interior Faerûn, and fought against the enemies of Selûne's faith, especially the forces of Shar. They operated independently of any temple's support or approval and sometimes clashed with them as they pursued their goals.
==Abilities==
A lycanthrope who completed the initiation rite and joined the Pact was blessed by Selûne with increased strength and vigor, could transform much more easily, and could also speak normally while in a hybrid form.
==History==
The Pact claimed to be formed by the first worshippers of Selûne, and the group was at least as old as Netheril.
In 757 DR, High Moonmistress Brima Chintamn of Bright Lady's Tower in Chancelgaunt gathered support from other high priests of Selûne and declared that the New Moon Pact had begun worshipping Shar and fallen to the heresy of believing that Shar was an aspect of Selûne.Although very similar to the Dark Moon heresy, there is no known links between the two.
Brima gathered the support of:
* Rian Liurandel of the House of the Moon in Bloodhand Hold.The original text uses Waterdeep, though this is several centuries before that name came into use.
* Zarran Tonnos of Moonmaiden's Hall in Murann.Spelled Murran in the original text.
* Bero Falabara of the Crescent Shrine in Alaghôn.
* Jolara Nightnever of Moonshadow Hall in Yhaunn.
* Six other high priests.
The members of the Pact were then hunted down, either fighting to the death or being captured and executed, and their property confiscated by the nearest temples. The true history of the Pact was also intentionally destroyed, with only scattered fragments surviving and the final declaration of the New Moon Heresy as the historical record.
Only the wolf companion Halftail survived with the aid of Selûne, who transformed her into a human. Becoming known as Asha the Silent, she joined the clergy of Moonshadow Hall and recorded a secret history of the Pact and its rituals in The Book of the New Moon. Though she never spoke a word, Asha eventually became High Moonmistress of the temple.
Shortly after the destruction of the Pact, the Bright Lady's Tower was abandoned and then demolished, with no temple of Selûne ever built to replace it in Selgaunt.
Around 1194 DR, the House of the Moon in Thentia performed an inquest into three priestesses who had been accused of being participants in the New Moon Heresy. The sisters Fela Thesk, Iwna Thesk, and Mirela Thesk all died in 1080 DR while tending to the shrine of Selûne in Glister. The investigation by the House of the Moon found that they had committed no heresy and were innocent of all wrongdoing.
In Kythorn of 1373 DR, High Moonmistress Dhauna Myritar of Moonshadow Hall received terrifying premonitions and dreams from Selûne that she interpreted as warnings to prepare for an unknown threat, prompting her to investigate the history of church and uncover the truth of the New Moon Pact. Through the fragmented records in the temple archives, she determined that they were innocent of heresy, but became mistakenly fixated on the belief that Selûne wanted her to become a werewolf as well, ultimately forcing Feena to infect her with lycanthropy. 
On the night of the new moon in Eleasis, the werewolf priestess Feena Archwood recovered the tome that Asha had written centuries ago, and made contact with the spirits of the fallen Pact members. The same night, she also discovered that her fellow priestess Velsinore unwittingly embodied the heresy the Pact had been accused of, resulting in Feena killing her. As the local Sharran cell assaulted the temple, Feena performed the initiation rite with the assistance of Julith Harkspur and reformed the Pact, becoming its newest member.
==Members==
The members of the pact before its destruction included:
* Asha the Silent.
* Brant Hallower of Candlekeep.
* Enshu Venerun of Chondath.
* Marrigan, formerly of the Gray Wolf tribe.
* Niree Swifthands of the Temple of the Half-Moon in Elmwood.Although the prominent members of the New Moon Pact are implied to be priests or high priests of their own temples, only Niree is explicitly described as such.
* Qualise Domo of Turmish.
* Rade of the Farsea Marshes.
* Tyver Thorndrove of Berdusk.
==Rumors & Legends==
After performing an investigation into the history of the Pact, High Moonmistress Dhauna Myritar determined that the charges of heresy were entirely false. Instead, it was a cynical attempt to seize wealth and eliminate an independent branch of the faith.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===See Also===
* Dark Moon heresy
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Lycanthrope organizations
Category:Military organizations
Category:Selûnite organizations
Category:Religious organizations
Category:Organizations on the Sword Coast North
Category:Organizations in Interior Faerûn
Category:Organizations in Northwest Faerûn
Category:Organizations in North Faerûn
Category:Organizations in Faerûn
Category:Organizations on Toril
Category:Organizations