Introduction to the secret society and my return to Yra
After successfully tracking Batar to a plane other than Yra, I was able to identify two Golden Hand members that had gone missing several fortnights ago; Upon contact with my superior (who will remain unnamed in these journal entries to preserve anonominity) I allowed Batar to return to his native plane to instigate investigations into the organization to which, it seems, both Batar and the missing Golden Hand agents were involved with.
It became immediately clear that the cell had been divided into two parts, one containing Batar, and the other containging the agents. Batar's subsect seemed harder to track without drawing undo attention to myself, so I instead shadowed the subsect that remained stationary, containing the two Golden Hand agents and another person of import that had recently gone missing, I later found out. The Marquess Militiant under direct command of Cornelius had gone missing at approximately the same time as the agents, vanishing without a trace, carrying with her one of, what I have come to understand is, the Inherantences.
Upon return of Batar's cell (or subcell as the case may be) Batar acted independantly and abandoned his companions, returning to the Plane of Air (as I previously mentioned). Prior to this I had been able to temporarily "procure" an amulet that each of these cell members wore.
One night the two wizards were examining certain arcane and mundane volumes, and briefly went to the tavern downstairs to continue their discussion at the insistance of the woman Golden Hand member. While gone, I slipped into their workroom and noticed, in a bag in the corner, several of these extra amulets, and brought to to my superior, where he fabricated a (nearly) identical version. I was able to return their amulet before they returned, and I have a high level of confidence they have no reason to suspect it was missing.
After the return of Batar's group, and the departure of the Djinni, I allowed myself to be recognized, and was able to pull a significant amount of information from the group.
First, they are employed by Osteruck, who I can only assume is the ancient, intelligent dragon that aided the fight at Hetushmannanai. Further, they interrogated a very well connected Golden Hand member, Raul, whom I recognized from my travels with Alabaster; I believe at the time he was the quartermaster of the admiralty, though it is apparent to me he has significant skills beyond that, and I wonder now if that was a ruse from the beginning.
I was able to slip out and speak directly to this character, asking him to inform Alabaster he has an ally with this group, and of some relevant information to him I thought important.
This all occurred, of course, after the meeting with the Lich King, where I learned most disturbing and, apparently true, information that there is not only a God of the aberrations, something known as the Sleeper, but that this God intends to use Desiphae to awake himself, and I can only assume, wreck a large amount of havoc on Yra, and other realms too!
I have since returned to Yra and reported this to my superior and was instructed to meet the returning party and continue investigations. I am afraid I may have been compromised, and so, this may be my last entry. The group seems significantly powerful, though I have sensed some latent disagreement between members, I think pertaining to the strictures of their society. Perhaps I can use this to my advantage.
The dourling and Exalted One particularly frighten me, though the elf's aims are mysterious to me, and the priest of Aresai seems fanatical in his beliefs, which can be very dangerous.