Stephen and Harris Scoleri made their presence known in Praelia as a pair of low level hoodlums. They were consummate pick pockets traveling with the various Faires across the Kingdom. It was in 23 ACI, during the Breitenburg feast of autumn that they were first arrested. The pair somehow came across the jeweled scepter of castellan Amanda Kendall from her personal chambers. When they tried to sell the scepter to a merchant they were captured by the Order.
In and out of the gaols, the Scoleris life of theft began to take a turn for greater threats and more valuable items. The attention of the investigators came when they started signing their crime scenes with a special ‘S’ badge, a note to everyone that they were indeed responsible. The badge is not always obvious, as they appear to like to make a game out of their thefts.
The duo has even gone so far as to announce their crimes in the form of puzzles and word games that they have paid the Bards to publicize in the local taverns before their theft. The puzzles leave clues when deciphered as to the location of the signature. This brazen mocking of authority is quite disconcerting to the Order.
When the twins stole the LaPeto staff, it was their first foray into political sabotage. The staff was broken when a fight broke out at a noble council meeting between the nobles of Sulphurdale and the nobles of Wulpert. Feeling the importance of maintaing diplomatic relations with Wulpert the castellan of Sulphurdale, James Bonham offered to repair the staff. Castellan LaPeto of Wulpert was weary of trusting CastellanBonham, but seeking to avert trouble agreed. Somewhere along the road back from repair the staff was stolen by the brothers. Wulpert of course blamed Sulpherdale and the two counties went to war. Hostilities only ceased when an Order investigator discovered the signature ‘S’ and informed both parties. This caught the eye of the Order as the actions of these two were no longer simply confined to theft, they were creating instability within the Kingdom.
The Scoleris also initiated a conflict between the Counties of Nicholshire and Fallsburn as well as the factions Nemea and Clan Chattan when the Lion of Nemea statue was stolen and the next day seen in Fallsburn carried around by Castellan Wallace of Clan Chattan. Duke MacGreggor of Nemea was prepared to launch an attack on Fallsburn until Castellan Wallace appeared in Nicholshire. Clearly unable to be in two places at once, the investigators returned the lion statue, as predicted it contained a tell-tale ‘S’ on the base.
The final crime that put the Scoleris on the Iscariotes list was when a riddle appeared scrawled upon the interior chambers of Nicholshire Manor’s Hall of Nobility.
“A robber tried to steal the crown jewels. He got caught by the King's guards and was taken to the king. The King was feeling generous that day and asked the robber how he wanted to die. A few minutes later the king let the robber go punished yet alive.
How did the robber want to die?”
The chancellors immediately ran to the crown chamber to find the Crown of the first King, Altarius, missing and replaced with a wooden crown with that ‘S’ on the band. This was the last straw. That crown represents the first King of Praelia and is a Kingdom treasure - not to mention the riddle’s answer “natural causes” is a mocking comment at the ineffectiveness of the Order. The brothers are saying that they, like the thief in the riddle, have outsmarted the Order and will continue to do so in perpetuity.
