In 1931, Henrik Mellberg, Francis Beresford-Hope, and Marwell O'Brien sought the key and discovered it in a diamond mine at the Popigai Crater, north of Norilsk, Siberia. Forming an expedition, they followed the map and reached the Tomb of the Gods, where the rest of their party died, and the three may have lost their sanity. Returning to civilization, they divided the key into three sections to protect the secrets of the Tomb of the Gods from falling into the wrong hands. The men then moved to different parts of the world, but kept in touch.