New Moon Company

The New Moon Company is a military order of warriors that also serves as a mercenary company. They are based in the Far-South of Eldham living within their home-base of Crescent Bay.

Beginnings
This ragtag band of fighters was formed in a far distant land by Nihoolious (Nick Hoolious) that emigrated to the lands of Eldham. They wound up in the far North East and made their way into the nation of Grand Farencia. There they were given citizenship and the right to stake out land for themselves. After a brief stay within the city of Kursiai, they embarked further west and established a homebase on a small island off the southern coast of the province of Aionios. There they built Fort Earnhardt, a fortress on the island itself and built a small civilian village on the nearby cape.

The Drak Yamar Horse Incident
Some time had passed and the people of the New Moon Company had made themselves at home and established a modest but impressive settlement. During this time tensions with the neighboring nation of Drak Yamar simmered as an uneasy peace was taking place between them and Grand Farencia, with a potential crisis from days prior averted with a non-aggression pact.

On July 23 2021, a horse had been stolen from a member of the New Moon Company by a member of Drak Yamar named StickmanPrime. This information was corroborated by a spy from within Drak Yamar that had a secret allegiance to Grand Farencia. Members of New Moon rode to the embassy StickmanPrime resided in and attempted to peacefully arrange for either the return of said horse or compensation for the trouble. Negotiations fell through however and StickmanPrime was killed in the ensuing brawl and the New Moon members retreated into their fortress.

For the next five hours, members of Drak Yamar would launch sporadic attacks on the fort itself with varying numbers of combatants participating in each attempt. By the time the fighting stopped and members of both sides went to sleep, around 9 combatants from Drak Yamar were killed along with 2 combatants from New Moon. During some of these attacks one of the Kings of Grand Farencia, who arrived to see the damage, was killed multiple times.

The Horse War
Two days after the fighting at Fort Earnhardt had ceased, LordCorgi of Drak Yamar made a formal declaration of war upon Grand Farencia which would result in a conflict known as The Horse War. Despite the support from Grand Farencia's allies, the New Moon members began to fortify Fort Earnhardt as best as they could before the time of the battle came. Due to the time the war was declared, less than half of the members would be present to defend their homeland, putting them at a noticeable disadvantage.

On July 26, 2021, the Battle of Fort Earnhardt took place. On the defending side were the few members of New Moon available to defend their home, alongside many ill-equipped allied troops from within Grand Farencia itself, Nova Azcoria, Plagatea, and various volunteers. On the opposing side were Drak Yamar, their allies from Tortuga which made up the bulk of the fighting force and hired help. The defenders rained arrows upon the attackers continuously, thwarting a couple attempts to break open the front gates. However, once two simultaneous attacks were launched on the front gate and NW Tower, followed by a breach in the Western wall, the attackers flooded in. It was a slaughter. The majority of the allied forces perished in the close quarters combat that ensued and a full retreat was called. The battle was a decisive defeat. This disastrous defeat, coupled with pre-existing issues within Grand Farencia and its government, led Nihoolious to present to King SerfBort a declaration of secession which was quickly accepted. Grand Farenica would not last many hours longer itself before being entirely vassalized and partioned by Drak Yamar. While saddened to see the nation fall in its entirety, the New Moon Company had made their decision, and began to evacuate the now ruin of Fort Earnhardt.

Relocation and Reformation
Having packed up all the valuables, the New Moon Company began searching for a new place to call home. They found a mushroom island in the far south of Eldham, with only an abandoned house and nether portal being on the island at the time. They quickly went to work and constructed a new fortress, more than double the size of their previous one and with much more room to expand. It would be named Crescent Bay and the New Moon Company would begin to sell their services as mercenaries while trying to maintain their newfound sovereignty in still unfamiliar lands.

They quickly became accustomed to their new home and were able to establish positive diplomatic relations with some of their neighbors. Through this diplomacy, the New Moon Company would secure beneficial treaties with Batu and the Oban Empire. They also participated in the Barbary War between Barbossa and the Zamotz Union on the side of the pirate state. While the Barbossan alliance lost the war the men from New Moon learned valuable lessons that day and realized where the real power lay on Eldham.

Mercenary Work
While operating as a mercenary company, the people of New Moon would end up taking on many contracts for various different services. Some of this were important to the geopolitical scene on Eldham while others simply left a lasting memory.

Coup in the Confederation of Garxijos
On August 6h 2021, Captain Nihoolious was contacted by a member of the Confederation of Garxijos government named Buoyo. He was requesting to hire the company to assist in a coup to depose their leader Flakreate. A contract was signed and five members of New Moon remained on standby in case there was resistance to the clients attempt to seize power. It was a bloodless coup and the mercenaries were paid their due.

Kaladinia-Markia War
On August 9th, 2021, members of the New Moon Company would participate in the war between Kaladinia and Markia. Nihoolious had offers from both sides but ultimately sided with Kaladinia. During the battle, the Markia forces were easily swept aside. However several bandits arrived during the battle and much of the fighting that took place was between these bandits and the Kaladinia forces. The war ended with Markia officially surrendering and ceding their lands to Kaladinia.

Values
Though not entirely made up of soldiers, the New Moon Company has a strong martial culture. They believe every member should be able to wield a sword or a bow should the need arise. Strength of the individual is held in high regard, encouraging its members to take every measure possible to better themselves. Loyalty to the company is paramount and the phrase, "The boys come first, always" serves as an embodiment of the belief system within the order.