Robert Stevens

Now the story is starting to make sense, sort of. The Reader and Ludmilla are starting to become aware of the web they've gotten themselves into. Mr. Cavedanga, who works at the publishing firm, tells of Ermes Marana, who apparently works as a translator and agent for Silas Flannery. He has a history of translating stories into different languages and passing them off as new stories. He also claims to have brought the half-novels to life by only translating parts of stories for the wife of some Sultan in the Persian Gulf so as to uphold his marraige contract. It appears as well that Marana is the founder of a paramilitary group that has since expelled him and then split into two factions. Also, Flannery has been caught red handed plagiarizing a book (or books) by a Belgian author.
The side story "Looks Down in the Gathering Shadow" talk about a man who recently murdered his old "business" parter JoJo and is now going through the process of disposing of the body. The second story, "In the Network of Lines that Enlace" revolves around a college professor that is obsessed with answering phones, and is apparently willing to throw one of his students under the bus to save his reputation when his urges get the best of him.

What is the story behind Marana's militant group?