The Puzzle:
Link to Larger image of Hunt
CONGRATS again to the winners of Treasure Hunt #4 by ThePuzzleMaster!
The solution:
SECRETS OF PAST TREASURES: SOLUTION
The SOPT was solved as follows:
The different colored letter groups scattered on the page were the first letters of past treasures hunts discussed on the Mysterious Writings website. Most could be found either on the website or forum.
The past treasures of these hunts were then used to fill in the crossword style puzzle.
The colors of the letter groups were a clue to position the past treasures. RED, which is 3 letters = 3 letter past treasures, BLUE = 4 letter past treasures, GREEN = 5 letter past treasures, ORANGE = six letter past treasures, DARK RED = 7 letter past treasures, DARK BLUE = 8 letter past treasures, and LIGHT BLUE = 9 letter past treasures.
The hunts and their treasures were:
RED: 3 letter treasuresC = Conundrum: Cadbury hunt = EGG
TLE = The Last Echo = OWL
BLUE: 4 letter treasuresM = Masquerade = HARE
PC = Perplex City = CUBE
BTB = Breakfast Tea & Bourbon = WINE
THCD = The Hollow Coin Drop = COIN
TTOTC = The Thrill of the Chase = GOLD
TGUSTH = The Great US Treasure Hunt = CASH
TITHE = Treasure Island: Treasure Hunt Edition = RING
GREEN: 5 letter treasuresTBT = The Bossall Treasure = CROSS
QC = Quercus Circus = ACORN
T = Treasure = HORSE
TLS = The Lost Skull = SKULL
ORANGE: 6 letter treasuresTI = The Inheritance = SILVER
ATT = A Treasure’s Trove = BEETLE
TGO = The Golden Oyster = OYSTER
NTS = Name This Story = MARBLE
OJH = Old Jack Hare = LOCKET
DARK RED: 7 letter treasuresMOTD = Map of the Dead = Pyramid
DARK BLUE: 8 letter treasuresTS = The Secret = GEMSTONE
SAYSF = Seek and Ye Shall Find = GIFT CARD
MFG = Max Fosh Goldfosh = GOLDFOSH
TSCC = The Secret Copy Cat = PAINTING
LIGHT BLUE : 9 letter treasuresTSOL = The Story of Leveret = DRAGONFLY
OTM = Over the Moon = MEDALLION
After filling in the grid it was noticed certain letters were either given or marked. Anagrammed they said:
FIND THE SECRET TREASURE (a secret treasure given for the hunt)
This was also a clue on how to find that secret treasure. Along the border, in each corner, going clockwise, were the symbols used to indicate:
. / FIND
_ / THE
S / SECRET
X / Treasure
The X was also to be read as ‘FIND THE SECRET X’. X marks the SPOT (FIRST LETTERS OF THE HUNT) – of where to start the directions given at the bottom to move around the completed grid.
Using the directions (U=UP D=DOWN R=RIGHT L=LEFT), and starting where X marked the spot (SPOT marked the X), the letters were:
OTYYKDLTF
Shifting those letters by one revealed the Secret Treasure and answer to the puzzle.
It was:
PUZZLE MUG
The butterfly CONUNDRUMUG puzzle mug was the secret treasure: