The Quest for the Death’s Head Relic launches 11/1/24! Are you ready?
Fall is proving busy for those of us in treasure hunting hobby – but each hunt is different and offers different experiences. It’s great to learn about them all, embark on their various adventures, and enjoy the journeys. Although finding the treasure of the hunt is the goal, it is often the many other types of treasures that are found – and of which can be found by all who join in on the fun! Treasures are out there to find – but you must be looking!
Let’s learn more about The Quest for the Death’s Head Relic! It is another fantastic hunt waiting to be explored!
Six Questions with Shane:
- 1Q) Thanks Shane for participating in the following Six Questions! MW is always happy to learn about and share new treasure quests! Please tell us more about The Quest for the Death’s Head Relic and what inspired you to create it?
Like many others, I was captivated by movies like The Goonies as a kid, and that spark for adventure and treasure hunting never really left me. For me, the real thrill isn’t in the treasure itself, but in the journey—the excitement of uncovering each clue, step by step.
Over the years, I’ve taken part in several treasure hunts and ARGs, and as an avid hiker, I’m always on the lookout for the next geocache. For years, I’ve talked with family, friends, and colleagues about creating my own hunts and building a community around it. This year, I finally found the time and freedom to fully commit to making that dream a reality.
What’s even more inspiring is seeing a growing movement around treasure hunts, like The Great U.S. Treasure Hunt, Project Skydrop, and There’s Treasure Inside. I think people are increasingly seeking out meaningful experiences over material things. There’s a real shift happening—away from screen addiction and doom scrolling, and toward reconnecting with others through shared adventures, teamwork, and camaraderie. It’s an exciting time to be part of this.
- 2Q) What do participants in the hunt need to do? Is the treasure in a safe location? Can kids go along for the find?
The treasure is a realistic human skull, hand-carved from solid Yooperlite—a rare fluorescent stone that glows orange under UV light. It features a 24k gold-gilded Death’s-Head moth etched into the brow, and I’ve woven some fictional lore around it, giving rise to the ‘Quest for the Death’s-Head Relic.’
The Relic is hidden somewhere on public land in West Virginia, and the hunt will last no more than 10 days. It follows a unique structure where the search area gradually shrinks. Each day, clues will eliminate several counties from the map, leaving just one by the final day. At the same time, lines from a cryptic poem will be released daily, offering hints that work outward—from the exact hiding spot to the trails, landmarks, city, area, and region. As the search area narrows, the path to the treasure becomes clearer, with everything converging around the final day when someone will have enough information to make the discovery.
To join the hunt, participants purchase a Searcher’s Permit for $30 through the website, which grants them access to the Searcher’s Portal for daily clues and private Discord channels where they can collaborate, share ideas, and discuss hints. Half of the permit fee goes toward growing the cash bounty, which is now over $5,000 and continuing to increase.
The treasure is hidden in a safe, public area that requires moderate hiking. While the hunt is open to participants aged 18 and older, I encourage adults to bring their children along, provided they’re capable and follow the usual wilderness safety precautions.
A large portion of the hunt can be tackled from home using ‘armchair’ tactics—solving the clues and narrowing down potential areas. It’s only when a likely location is determined that boots on the ground are needed. I encourage armchair sleuths to partner with trusted searchers on-site to combine efforts and gain a mutual advantage.
- 3Q) Have you worked on any other previous hunts or are you new to the treasure hunt community? Have any fun treasure hunting experiences to share?
I’ve worked on several smaller online hunts and ARGs in the past, but I’m relatively new to the larger treasure hunting community. I’ve always been fascinated by legendary hunts like Masquerade, The Secret, and Forrest Fenn’s treasure, though I’ve never been deeply involved in those larger-scale events. What I’m realizing now is that there are countless smaller hunts happening all the time across the U.S., and I’m excited to not only participate in them but also contribute on a much larger scale.
Earlier this year, I took part in an intense 10-day online social/survivor-style game called Crypto The Game. It was a high-stakes, winner-takes-all competition involving daily puzzles, hunts, challenges, and social engineering, with a $250k prize on the line. I made it to the final day but was ultimately voted out, as my alliance didn’t have the numbers to keep me in. It was one of the most thrilling—and exhausting—experiences of my life.
- 4Q) Can you offer any advice to someone new to the treasure hunting hobby? Do they have to be great at cracking codes and ciphers to solve your hunt or do you feel anyone can find it?
My advice is to approach treasure hunting with the understanding that the odds of being the first to find the treasure are slim. However, the real reward comes from the excitement, anticipation, challenges, and the sense of community you build along the way. The small victories—solving clues, forming friendships, and sharing the adventure—bring immense value that far outweighs the cost of entry. In these hunts, the experience is just as important, if not more so, than the treasure itself.
As for ‘The Quest for the Death’s-Head Relic,’ it doesn’t require expert-level codebreaking or cipher skills. Much of the hunt will be done online, using map, satellite, and earth-view software to explore potential locations within the gradually shrinking area. Tools like AI chatbots and online research of West Virginia’s regions, flora, and fauna will also be useful. The key is to uncover the hidden meanings in the cryptic poem and connect those to real-world landmarks, trails, cities, and regions within the narrowing search area. Once you’ve pinpointed a likely location, it’s just a matter of heading out to search and retrieve the treasure.
- 5Q) What was the biggest challenge to making and setting up this hunt?
The biggest challenge with something like this is always getting the word out and reaching the right audience—people who would genuinely be excited to participate. The old saying, ‘build it and they will come,’ isn’t as simple in today’s world. It takes a lot of effort to market any project, especially in an era where attention spans are as short as a quick swipe to the next piece of content in someone’s feed. I really appreciate the opportunity to share more about this here.
As a web and enterprise software developer for the past 23 years, the technical aspects of this project come naturally to me. I’ve built a sophisticated website that not only tells the story and theme of the hunt but also includes a dedicated Searcher’s Portal. Participants can link their accounts to receive daily clues. I’ve also integrated a Discord server with an automated system that grants access to private member channels, adding a social experience that I believe is a huge value to any treasure hunt.
I encourage everyone to explore the website for more details and to check out the extensive FAQ page, which covers any remaining questions.
- 6Q) What did you enjoy most about this treasure hunt project? Do you plan on making other hunts?
The ‘Quest for the Death’s-Head Relic’ is just the beginning. I have many more treasure hunts and experiences planned for the future. This platform is designed to be a growing community, known as MOTH.club—an acronym for Multiplayer Online/Outdoor Treasure Hunts. My vision is not only to host and promote my own hunts but also to create a space where other treasure hunts and communities can be shared, discussed, and celebrated, both now and in the future.
I love creating experiences that I personally would be thrilled to participate in and solve. The downside, of course, is that I can’t join in myself! But I’ll live vicariously through all of you, and with so many more treasure hunts on the horizon, I’m content with that. Happy hunting, and may your instincts guide you well, Searchers!