UPDATE: TREASURE HUNT OVER
A Cash treasure. A Brass Key. Hidden clues. A book. Sounds like an armchair treasure hunt! And it is! Dairen Gillen has created a captivating treasure hunt entitled, ‘It’s in Los Angeles’. Is it in Los Angeles? I hear that might be a bit of a mislead. I don’t know. The hunt has only been recently released and so not much is known yet. But what a great opportunity to learn more about it! Let’s get to it with Six Questions with Darien. I appreciate him so much taking time to offer some more information about this puzzling adventure and search to claim at least $500 cash, and more as sales expand (up to $100,000)! Enjoy!
Six Questions with Darien:
- 1Q) The search for treasure is always exciting! Thanks for the opportunity created in your book! Can you share more details on how to get started in the search for your hidden Brass Key worth at least $500 Cash to its finder?
Thank you for the opportunity to share my work. Of course, the first thing one wants to do is buy the book. Now, that may sound selfish on my part, however, the purchase and ownership of the book is a prerequisite to collecting the treasure. So, the purchase is a must. Remember that the more copies of the book that I sell the more the treasure will ultimately be worth.
Next, the fun starts. After reading the instructions included in the opening of the book, you’ll want to jump right into the stories. The coded sections in each chapter include a clue to the location of the key and instructions on how to further decipher each following chapter. The whole book is relatively easy to complete if you just read the instructions. Ok, so guys won’t get it but their wives will, haha.
- 2Q) On your website you mention you were inspired by both the Yamashita Treasure and Thrill of the Chase Treasure Hunts. While MW is very familiar with Forrest Fenn’s treasure hunt, the Yamashita Treasure is less so. But it is an amazing tale. Did you search for Yamashita’s Gold Treasure, and will you please tell us how the hunts inspired you?
So, actually, I did pursue the search for Yamashita’s Treasure. It’s kind of a long story I think I will include in my next book. But suffice it to say I was fired up about the fact that Yamashita’s Treasure has the potential to be one of if not the most valuable treasures in the history of mankind. Remember, Yamashita and his troops pillaged goods from almost all the Asian countries comprising the Ring of Fire.
I still feel even today that Yamashita’s Treasure is one of the most important parts of the history of World War II and yet it has fallen by the wayside without much mention at all.
Also, Yamashita’s Treasure is located predominantly in the Philippines. I served 3 years in the US Navy and visited the Philippines on more than one occasion, so I can relate easily to matters of Philippine history. The same holds true for the Forrest Fenn Treasure as I know he spent several years in the military as a pilot during the Vietnam war.
I hope to meet Forrest in the near future.
- 3Q) What did you enjoy most about creating the ‘It’s in Los Angeles’ treasure hunt?
Well, I am Sagittarius and though I don’t strictly follow the signs of the Zodiac, I know there are certain features of each that appear to hold true from one sign to the next. Anyhow, as such I am a creative type and have become adept at various arts such as painting, sculpting, and from a very early age, writing. As a result of these talents I found it an amazing challenge to create a puzzle or cipher that needed some amount of due diligence to decipher and find an answer to. The challenge was extremely enjoyable. Something to be pursued even more on its own. Also, hiding the key was especially fun measuring out paces and/or foot-steps, as well as simply finding a location easily accessible to all potential searchers gave me a thrill all its own.
- 4Q) What have you enjoyed least about creating the hunt?
Oh that’s easy, the due diligence on my part to proof-read every word and then all those numbers. Of course, if even a single number in some cases is wrong it could begin a chain reaction throughout the entire chapter written and that could potentially change the result of reading that chapter.
- 5Q) Can you offer any advice or hints to searchers of the Brass Key? How long do you expect the hunt to go on? Will clues be given along the way, if needed?
The best advice I can offer is do your due diligence as only time will pay you the reward of completing the puzzles. If you have a physical copy of the book utilize the margins to take notes. It’s your book, write in it, but be careful not to show your solves if you would like to pass the book along to someone else. When you see that I have written a term you don’t necessarily understand, think outside the box. A good detective always does this. Pay close attention to what and where I say it isn’t, as the process of elimination could answer many questions.
I’m not sure how to answer the question of how long it should take or go on. I am not putting a specific time limit on the find but I may feel after a while that someone should have gotten close and perhaps at that time, I will give more clues or hints to help you along. That being said, I will be creating a series of videos that will give some clues and help you to begin your process of elimination better.
- 6Q) What can you tell us about prospecting for Gold? What other hobbies do you enjoy? Are there more projects in the works?
Well, I do love to talk about prospecting, though I am relatively new to the hobby, I have learned quite a lot in the last ten years. I have even held a $100,000 nugget in my hand. If you are interested in prospecting, I suggest you go out and find a club to join. There are several free ones as well as some that cost a few dollars a year and some that boast having thousands of members. I have prospected in the desert, in the mountains and even in the bottom of a river. There are many different pieces of equipment used in prospecting but if you have a simple pan and a bucket you can get started. That’s where I started and today I have several hundred dollars worth of tools. I just built them up over those ten years. There is nothing like finding a glint of gold in your pan. No matter how big or small, you will never forget the first time you see it in your pan.
I do spend time painting pictures, sculpting clay and wire. I also love to work with wood building furniture and household items.
As for other projects, I am in the process of creating my next treasure hunt which will come closer to the end of the first but will be even more involved and interesting. Obviously, writing ‘It’s In Los Angeles’ was kind of testing the waters but it has also turned out to be a great learning experience. I sincerely hope anyone who reads this will purchase their own copy and start down the road to solving the puzzle and finding the treasure.
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