The Book of the New Moon

The Book of the New Moon was a tome written by Asha the Silent detailing the true history of the New Moon Pact.^[1]

“

Hear the tale of the New Moon Pact, destroyed by lies. In Selûne's name and by her grace, I make this record. All around me, the tales of the Pact are wiped away day by day. My pack is gone, but by Selûne's hand I survive. By her will, I carry its ancient history in my heart. On this day dedicated to the honored dead, I begin my secret record. Bright Lady of Night, grant me the years to finish it.

”

— The opening of the book.^[1]

Description[]

The book was a slim tome with a black leather cover, bearing no title but decorated with a silver inlay that was tarnished with age. The design bore the phases of the moon in a vertical strip down the middle, with a full moon at the top of the cover, followed by a gibbous moon, half-moon, and crescent moon, ending with a hair-thin silver outline of a new moon in the center that remained untarnished. The book was protected by preservation magic that prevented the cover symbol and the pages within from falling victim to decay. The pages inside were filled with a cramped, heavy script by Asha's hand.^[1]^[2]

Content[]

“

Selûne, Moonmaiden, Silver Lady of the Night, hear me!
I have roamed in darkness. Shadows hold no fear for me. Under your light I have run the moon's road. I have known your bright faces: joy, strength, and wisdom. For your sake, I have held death itself at bay, but the Ancient Knight is swift and I must be swifter!

”

— The start of the initiation rite.^[1]

The book contained an account of the true history of the Pact of the New Moon according to Asha, including the final events that destroyed it.^[1] It also included their sacred rites and rituals, including one that initiated a lycanthrope into the order and bestowed divine blessings upon them.

History[]

After escaping the purge of the New Moon Pact in 757 DR the wolf Halftail was transformed into a human by Selûne, and charged with protecting the legacy of the Pact. Taking the name Asha the Silent, she joined the clergy of Moonshadow Hall and began writing the tome on the Feast of the Moon that same year. After completing it, she hid the book in the archives of Moonshadow Hall, awaiting one who would find it and use it to defend the faith.^[1]

In 1373 DR, Feena Archwood experienced a dream-vision where she met the spirits of the fallen Pact members, who led her to discover the book hidden in the temple.^[2]^[1] With the assistance of Julith Harkspur, she performed the initiation rite of the Pact and invoked its power, finally reforming the holy order after centuries.^[3]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

Novels & Short Stories

Mistress of the Night

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 ^1.7 ^1.8 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 13, pp. 231–232. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 13, pp. 227–228. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.
↑ Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16, pp. 280–283. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.

[MotN-p231-232-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 ^1.7 ^1.8 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 13, pp. 231–232. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.

[MotN-p227-228-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 13, pp. 227–228. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.

[MotN-p280-283-3] Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16, pp. 280–283. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.

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