Rulers who choose the Scholarship focus 
gain +3 learning and increased likelihood of events that give technology research points. They can also invest in building an observatory for traits and additional tech points.
Build an observatory
For 50g, rulers with the Scholarship focus can take a decision to build an observatory 
. This can only be done once per lifetime, and requires that you are not 
, and not already a 
or 
.
Building an observatory starts a long chain of events which can last about 5 years, give you lots of tech points, and give you several traits. About a year in, you will choose between studying stellar movement or weirdness. Both choices eventually give you:
- The option to become
(requires having a 
close family member or friend in your court; unavailable if honest) - +1 learning
If you take the stellar movement option all the way through, you will also get:
- 50% more
, if Christian or Muslim - 44%
- 10%
- +230 military tech points
- The option to openly defy your religious head, becoming
at the cost of angering the church - Your choice between: more , the character modifier Heliocentrist Scholar which gives [+2 learning], or the lifestyle trait which gives [+3 learning]
If you take the weirdness option all the way through, you will also get:
- 51%
- 20%
- +130 cultural tech points
- The option to buy and even study the Necronomicon, giving an additional +200 cultural tech points in exchange for wealth, monthly piety, and a risk of
- Your choice between: the character modifier Weird Scholar which gives [+1 learning, +1 stewardship], or the lifestyle trait which gives [+2 learning, +1 stewardship]
Event chain details
- 180d: Observatory is ready. Adds character modifier Studying the Stars (+1 learning). This character modifier persists until you end the event chain or cancel the focus
- 180d: You decide what question to ask: "How do the stars move?" or "What weirdness is out there?"
Studying stellar movement
This branch gives you +10 prestige at the start. If you are not Buddhist or Zunist, it puts you on the road to conflict with the church, with especially high risk/reward if you have a religious head.
- 180d: You start believing in heliocentrism. +30 military tech points. If Christian or Muslim, 50% chance to lose or gain . 20% chance to gain
- 180d: Need new equipment.
- A: Invest another 30g (going into debt okay)
- B: STOP
- 180d: If you have a friend or close family member in your court who is , they express concern. (Buddhists
and Zunists 
excluded)
- A: -10 opinion (worried); 10% chance to gain (unless or )
- B: -25 opinion (angry); +30 prestige
- C: Lie; gain trait. (Available if you are not
)
- A: -10 opinion (worried); 10% chance to gain
- 180d: +100 military tech points
- 180d: Technical problems.
- A: Persist; 30% chance to gain ; 10% chance to gain .
- B: STOP; lose or gain
- A: Persist; 30% chance to gain
- 180d: Religious head complains. (SKIPPED if no religious head, the religious head is a player, or if )
- A: Defiant reply. +50 prestige; -50 piety; -25 religious head opinion (angry) for 10 years; -10 church opinion for 2 years; become
- B: No reply. -20 piety; -10 religious head opinion (irritated) for 5 years
- C: STOP; +10 religious head opinion (pleased) for 3 years; +25 church opinion for 2 years
- A: Defiant reply. +50 prestige; -50 piety; -25 religious head opinion (angry) for 10 years; -10 church opinion for 2 years; become
- 180d: +100 military tech points; +1 learning
- 180d: breakthrough! This ends the event chain
- A: Publish. +300 prestige, 1, nickname. If not or , you get a permanent -10 church opinion, and realm characters who are priests or zealous reduce their opinion of you by -35 for 5 years.
- B: Keep secret. 1
- C: Stop here. Replace Studying the Stars with Heliocentrist Scholar (+2 learning)
- D: Burn it! Lose or gain . (Unavailable for Buddhists and Zunists )
- A: Publish. +300 prestige,
1If you already have a lifestyle trait, you don't get a second one, but instead you get to keep the Studying the Stars modifier.
Studying weirdness
This branch gives you +5 prestige at the start.
- 180d: gain ; 30% chance to gain
- 180d: Need new equipment
- A: Invest another 30g (going into debt okay)
- B: STOP
- 180d: If you have a friend or close family member in your court who is , they express concern.
- A: -10 opinion (worried)
- B: -50 opinion (afraid); +30 prestige
- C: Lie; gain trait. (Available if you are not )
- 180d: Travel to meet Arab scholar? (DELAYED repeatedly if in command or has a regent (e.g. due to hajj?))
- A: Travel. -20% yearly income
- B: STOP, gain
- 90d: Buy the Necronomicon? (Either way, +30 culture tech points and the event chain continues)
- A: Buy it. -100 wealth. Gain artifact The Necronomicon, giving +5 learning, -1 diplomacy, and -2 monthly piety.
- B: No thanks.
- Disturbances in observatory
- A: Persist. 30% chance to gain , 20% chance to gain
- B: STOP; lose or gain
- A: Persist. 30% chance to gain
- 180d (if you bought the Necronomicon): Study the Necronomicon?
- A: Leave it on the shelf. +20 culture tech points
- B: Go deeper. 30% chance to gain , 30% chance to gain , +200 tech points, nickname
- 180d: Feeling wiser. +1 learning, +100 culture tech points
- 180d: Breakthrough! This ends the event chain.
- A: 2, nickname
- B: Hide it. Replace Studying the Stars with Weird Scholar (+1 learning, +1 stewardship)
- A:
2 If you already have a lifestyle trait, you don't get a second one, but instead you get to keep the Studying the Stars modifier. You should probably pick option B in this case.
Random technology events
While you have the Scholarship focus, the following events are twice as likely:
| Name | Criteria | Result | MTTH with Scholarship focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish chancellor helps | Chancellor is Jewish (group), you are not | +50 cultural tech points | 140 months (down from 280 months) |
| Jewish steward helps | Steward is Jewish (group), you are not | +50 economic tech points | 140 months |
| Jewish spymaster helps | Spymaster is Jewish (group), you are not | +50 military tech points | 140 months |
| Spymaster studies technology | Spymaster job: "Study Technology" | +50 random tech points | 28.5 months (assuming 13+ skill) |
| Great inventor | Lord spiritual job: "Study Cultural Technology" | +50 cultural tech points | 158 months (assuming 13+ skill) |
| Military secrets revealed |
|
+50 military tech points | 158 months (assuming 13+ skill) |
| Understanding from battle |
|
tech_growth_modifier_military = 0.05 (in capital, for 1 year) |
Chance per day in battle |
Ambition events
If your learning skill is below 8, the following events may occur to help improve it:
- Flying machine
- St. Augustine's confessions/Shahnameh
- Hermit visits (the above three events can only be done once per lifetime in total)
- Roman engineering (not Indian religion)
- Philosophy (not Indian religion)
- Astronomy (the above three events can occur multiple times until any once per lifetime event mentioned above is completed)
These events also exist without 
Way of Life DLC. Without the DLC, they instead require the Improve Learning Ambition, which similarly requires having less than 8 learning skill.
Strategies
Observatory strategies
Building an observatory can get you lots of tech points. The event chain is predictable, pretty safe, and can get you several good traits.
Surprisingly, this event chain is very good for improving your intrigue skill. It can give ; either or ; and a good chance of . If your starting intrigue is very low, consider doing an intrigue-related focus first: that way, you can get the intrigue "ambition events" until your intrigue skill hits 8, and then get these traits for an additional 5-6 intrigue skill.
- Planning to abort the observatory chain early? Cancel your focus, so you get to keep the Studying the Stars character modifier (+1 learning).
- Became ? See Health#Stressed and depressed for ways to calm your anxiety.
- Only interested in the observatory? Conveniently, the event chain lasts about 5 years, so you'll be able to choose a new focus around the time the event chain finishes.
Technology event strategies
Have your spymaster and lord spiritual studying technology.
For the "Jewish councilor" bonuses:
- Educate promising children as Jewish
- Find unmarried Jewish men (with non-Jewish lieges) and either suggest matrilineal marriages or invite them using favors
- To filter for Jewish characters: find one Jewish character, right-click, select "go to character relations", then select "my religion".
- There should be many Jewish courtiers in non-Jewish courts if you have Sons of Abraham enabled: see Jewish courtiers and merchants. They are easy to identify by their culture (Ashkenazi or Sephardi).
For the "Military secrets revealed" bonus:
- The marshal's likability, including diplomacy skill, is more important than martial skill (beyond 13) for this event.
- With free investiture: appoint bishops in your capital who fulfill the requirements. Then choose a marshal with traits that please this bishop (including church-opinion traits).
- Create a vassal republic and let them have a city or castle in your capital. Between family palace buildings that improve attributes, and playable rulers being able to choose focuses, many of this republic's doges should be eligible. You can also suggest guardians for likely heirs. If there's an heir you want to disqualify, the usual methods work, as well as granting land outside the republic. (Are patricians eligible too, or only the doge?)