Valor Mortis: In the Name of Art Walkthrough (Painter’s House)

In the Name of Art is a side quest in Valor Mortis that plays out around a lone painter’s house on a forest trail in the Vale of Wrath, during Chapter V, CRIME. It begins when you walk into the attic and find the owner hanged beside his easel, and it ends underground at a shrine where the full story comes together.

New side quest, hanged painter. Image: One More Level / via @Shirrako

Quick answer: Find the hanged painter in the attic, take the Basement Key from the grave outside, then unlock the lower door and follow the cellar and caves to the shrine to read the Painter’s Final Letter.

Where In the Name of Art starts in the Vale of Wrath

In the Vale of Wrath, the quest begins inside a modest timber home along the forest trail. A table downstairs holds the rebel note “SHRIKE’S APPEAL”; as you enter, a dim blue memory of a married couple unfolds across the floor. Upstairs, another memory appears near a bed and several crates.

Climb to the attic. The painter hangs from the ceiling next to his easel, and a glowing pile on the floor gives you “Standard Firearm Parts” with an “[E] USE” prompt. A few seconds later the banner “IN THE NAME OF ART / NEW SIDE QUEST” appears. The quest text explains that the owner took his own life, and that the picture he painted points toward a small grave on the nearby cliff.

Get the Basement Key from the grave

Exit the house and take the dirt path beside the wooden fence. Ahead of a weather-beaten shed, you’ll find a little grave marked by a cross and a burning candle.

Walk up to the grave to trigger a memory of two figures in grief. The notice “QUEST UPDATE / IN THE NAME OF ART” appears, and the Basement Key is added, with “ADDED TO INVENTORY” displayed. The quest text says the key was left at the grave and likely belonged to the painter’s daughter.

Basement Key by the grave. Image: One More Level / via @Shirrako

Open the basement and reach the shrine

Return to the house and locate the locked door downstairs. Use the key to open it; the message “The door was opened with Basement Key” appears with an “[E] INTERACT” prompt. A shadowy wooden corridor descends beyond the door, with Pistol Cartridges on the route.

Go farther down to find a “Legendary Catalyst Clot” on the floor. Clear the fleshy blockage with fire, then inspect “Cryptic Note — Wolf”, the Resistance’s letter requesting a far more potent poison.

Continue onward until you reach a cavern containing a pool crossed by wooden walkways. Pale, crawling flesh creatures come at you across the planks; one on the walkway has a health bar above it. Defeat them and proceed.

A memory of the wife and husband arguing plays in front of a door. In the workshop beyond, a note on a work table among sacks and a lantern triggers “QUEST UPDATE / IN THE NAME OF ART”. This is “Wolf’s Note — Poison”, the painter’s own account of the wolfsbane poison he made for the Resistance, and how his small daughter accidentally poisoned herself with what he kept in the basement.

Make your way through the mine’s flooded tunnels. A further memory appears over the water, and you’ll find a “Flaming Whetstone” in the passage. Flowers are suspended from the beams as you approach the final room.

At the end, enter the shrine. A woman wearing a dress is seated against a cloth, with candles and flowers around her. Use [E] on the letter to obtain “PAINTER’S FINAL LETTER”. Reading the letter completes the quest, after which you emerge in the forest. The final quest log says three lives were lost: in a fit of rage, the painter strangled his wife and arranged her body.

Butcher’s Carnage reward and confirmation

Completion shows “IN THE NAME OF ART / QUEST COMPLETE” alongside an item pickup for the amber Butcher’s Carnage. Those two cues together confirm the quest is finished.

Quest complete, Butcher's Carnage. Image: One More Level / via @Shirrako

Butcher’s Carnage changes how you heal. Its effects are:

Land melee blows on enemies to restore Health.
Ferrofluid Flasks no longer restore Health.
It is an amber that can reach rank 3.

Along the route you also pick up Standard Firearm Parts in the attic, Pistol Cartridges, a Legendary Catalyst Clot, and a Flaming Whetstone, plus the four readable notes: “SHRIKE’S APPEAL”, “Cryptic Note — Wolf”, “Wolf’s Note — Poison” and “PAINTER’S FINAL LETTER”.