Enraged, the elemental wobbled forth to hit Menya in a last-ditch attempt, but failed miserably. (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=61338)<br/><br/>Even with the benefit of her spell, all of Hanifa's arrows missed.  Cursing her ill fortune, she was about to ditch her bow and draw her scimitar until she noticed the elemental start to fading away.  Seemingly evaporating, the entity was no more, banished back to its home plane.<br/><br/><em>At 1 hit point left and no damage to either of you (except 8 on Menya for the diving attack), we both know how this encounter's going to end.  Gain 800 experience points for felling the elemental.</em><br/><br/>"Is...is it gone?"  The slight green visage of a short scholar peeked from up top a balcony.  It was a bespectacled goblin man.<br/><br/>"That elemental?" Hanifa shrugged.  "Wasn't too hard to clean up.  It was on top of one of the bookcases, but the contents do not appear drenched."<br/><br/>The goblin was practically hopping up and down upon hearing the good news.  "Oh joy!  Thank the gods!"  With surprising speed he rushed down to the bottom floor to personally shake the hands of Hanifa and Menya, congratulating their work.<br/><br/>"I knew that High Priestess Cerfetutan would put things right!  I was probably in that cupboard for, what, several hours, give or take?"<br/><br/>"Are you hurt?"<br/><br/>"Aside from being cramped in all the wrong places, I'm unharmed."<br/><br/>"We're not just hired help," Hanifa said.  "But we were more than happy to help out the devotees of our god-king.  My name's Hanifa, and this is Menya, a member of the Pathfinder Society.  We came here to research the legend of the Forgotten Crown, a relic fashioned by your theurges ages ago.  The High Priestess offered to grant us access in exchange for dealing with this summoned elemental."<br/><br/>The goblin nodded.  "Ragrump at your service, Theurge of earth magic and transmutation.  I do not specialize in history, but I can help you in your research out of gratitude.  First, we'll need to visit the Third Ring Temple, Southwest Division, Library Section 2..."<br/><br/><br/><div align="center">(http://i.imgur.com/E4o3dPi.jpg?1)</div><br/>Even with the dedicated help of the mage-priests, Menya and Hanifa had to pull an all-nighter gathering every probable text concerning the proper fields: magic artifacts, international relations between Osiron and other nations, the noble legacies of Pharaohs and the wizard-king Nex, and too many books to remember.<br/><br/><em>First, roll a Perception check.  Then a Knowledge Arcana check, a Knowledge History check, and finally a Knowledge Nobility check.  Due to superior equipment and assistance, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus on all these rolls.</em><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Perception</div><div class="spoiler_body">DC 15: You can narrow your search down, carving off a few hours.  You find a dog-eared marking in the book <em>Secret Societies and Masked Mages</em> discussing the legend of how Nethys fashioned spellbooks to pass on to mortals during his reign as Osiron's king.  It is said that within the magic runes are hidden codes detailing the location of his greatest riches and lore.<br/><br/>DC 20: Ooooh, you find a book which just happens to be right up your alley!  <em>Fall of the Pharaohs, Rise of the South</em> details a short history of Nex back when it was an Osirion province.  Pertinent to this subject is how the era of decline in Osiron at this time was marked in contrast with the rising glory of Nex, and how the rulers of the former fretted about what this meant for the future of their nation.  <em>Gain a +5 bonus on the remaining Knowledge checks.</em><br/><br/>DC 25: You find an appropriate passage in a book discussing the many gifts received by the wizard-king Nex to appease him.  It briefly discusses how the Osiron Pharaoh at the time called forth the greatest clerics and mages of the land to fashion the most glorious and splendid treasures and structures to both impress and drive fear into Nex of Osiron's magical might.<br/><br/>DC 30: To make up for your Knowledge, Menya's search is so through that she manages to find out the entire contents of all Knowledge skills DC 20 and lower.  Still roll on each to see if you get any better results.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Knowledge Arcana</div><div class="spoiler_body">DC 10: The Ancient Osironians knew of magic's power, both arcane and divine, ever since recorded history.  The hieroglyphics of the oldest pyramids show mortals wielding colored flames in their hands and drawn rings around great beasts to represent conjuring.<br/><br/>DC 15: During the Qadiran satrapy, when Osiron fell under the foreign rule of the Empire of Kelesh, the occupying government did much to destroy the country's written records and cultural symbols.  During this time many claimed spellbooks were either burned or seized by Keleshite rulers to be taken back to their home country.  The secrets of many ancient Osironian magic were lost to time around this point.<br/><br/>DC 20: Spellbooks were traditionally written on papyrus scrolls, although a few of the most magically-inclined Pharaohs embedded their writings into their very tomb-pyramids so that they may keep their power and knowledge close to them even in death.  It is said that the hieroglyphs of some of these pyramids served as an arcane conduit for ritual magic normally impossible for one mortal mage to maintain.<br/><br/>DC 25: It was through this series of pyramid-focused spells that later Osirionite Pharaohs created magical marvels.  At the time of Nex's ascendancy it was believed that the secrets of their ancestors would be the key to saving their nation.  The Forgotten Crown was believed to be fashioned this way.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Knowledge History</div><div class="spoiler_body">DC 10: The history of Osiron is closely aligned with Nethys.  One of the deity's prophets, named Azghaad unified the tribes living among the Sphinx River, forming the civilization of Osirion as its first Pharaoh.<br/><br/>DC 15: During the Qadiran satrapy, when Osiron fell under the foreign rule of the Empire of Kelesh, the occupying government did much to destroy the country's written records and cultural symbols.  During this time many claimed spellbooks were either burned or seized by Keleshite rulers to be taken back to their home country.  The secrets of many ancient Osironian magic were lost to time around this point.<br/><br/>DC 20: The rise of Nex took place around Osirion's Second Age, when four Pharaohs entered into a magical pact to save their country.  Their rule came to an end in -1431 AR, and the decline resumed.  There are historians who insist that Osirion's decline was not due to prophecies or pacts, but the result of weakening infrastructure and poor governorship, which led to the autonomy of many nations which now comprise all of north and east Garund.  It is theorized that the rituals of the Forgotten Crown might have been the result of Osirionian mages attempting to expose a weak point of sorts in Nex's rulership.<br/><br/>DC 25: The era when the Forgotten Crown was fashioned took place at a time when Osirion went through a religious revival.  The temples of Nethys and other deities were flush with riches, which were used to add to the might of the priests.  In regards to Nethys, the rings around Azghaad's Spire were built, soon turning into a community of its own.  It's also theorized that the first blueprints for the Forgotten Crown were fashioned in this place, only to be reclaimed by the Pharaoh and buried with him.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Knowledge Nobility</div><div class="spoiler_body">DC 10: Osirion's ruled by a successive generation of Pharaohs, who can be either male or female.  All of them share a common heritage from Azghaad, the first Pharaoh.  Intermarriage among influential spellcasters and clergy was common to prevent inbreeding.<br/><br/>DC 15: Traditionally, when a Pharaoh dies, their possessions are buried with them.  This results in some truly massive pyramids housing all manner of treasures and slaves.  Pharaohs who had no moral inclinations against necromancy were even known to animate themselves as undead, forming entire tomb-cities within their graves.  It is not known if any of them survive to this day.<br/><br/>DC 20: Although given as a gift to Nex, there is no indication that the Wizard-king accepted it.  If this is the case, its ownership would still belong to the Pharaoh, and thus be buried with him.<br/><br/>DC 25: It is said that a particularly clever and ambitious sorceress of Nex visited Osirion around the time the Forgotten Crown was fashioned.  She was the beloved of the High Priest of Nethys, and even joined the clergy as a theurge later on in life.  Her name was Fizza, and she was a close advisor to many of the priesthood's artisans.</div></div><br/><em>All work and no play make Menya a dull girl.  The more she researches, the more extraneous details she finds.  For every 2 successful discoveries of Perception and Knowledge, she finds a neat yet ultimately pointless detail to focus on or to pass the time.  This has no negative effect, but represents the passing hours, boredom, and brief breaks between research.</em><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Distractions</div><div class="spoiler_body"><br/>2: Menya finds a book of conspiracies written by an eccentric scribe 400 years ago.  He has wild and descriptive accounts of "what really happened" back then, claiming that Osirion has been secretly ruled by lizardfolk, that Azghaad was a druid who had sex with dogs in wildshape form, and more outlandish imaginings.<br/><br/>4: Menya finds an erotic book fantasizing about the many decadent diversions pursued by Osirion's Pharaohs of old: orgies of supple young slaves, summoned angels and succubi ordered to please the god-king, and how one ruler hired three professional courtesans to seduce his teenage son into a foursome so that he can bear the line an heir (the prince had his heart set on a commoner girl instead).  Hanifa will look over at what Menya's reading and blush.  "Yo...you can read that later!" she stammered.<br/><br/>6: A book detailing abstract planar concepts, with plenty of cool, non-Euclidean pictures!<br/><br/>8: A cookbook of yummy Garundi recipes (think modern Middle Eastern cuisine)!<br/><br/>10: A political treatise <em>On Government,</em> a relatively recent book penned by a Cheliaxian philosopher attacking the very idea of the Divine Right of Kings.  It's work was influential enough to inspire democratic revolutions in Andoran and Galt.<br/><br/>12: The <em>Tome of Horrors, Abridged Version,</em> a sinister-looking book with a glaring skull on the cover.  Within its pages Menya can learn about many fell monsters, complete with artist sketches!<br/><br/>14: A series of financial records maintained by the clergy of Nethys, which is promptly snatched up by Ragrump.  "No no no, for private eyes only!  I've been looking for that book for ages, so thank you at least for finding it!"<br/><br/>16: A book bound in midnight black leather.  <em>The Many Blasphemies of Rovagug</em> details the monstrous spawn of this primordial entity and their many atrocities throughout the ages.</div></div>