Chapter 5: Crime of Valor Mortis includes the optional quest In the Name of Art. At a solitary timber cabin in the Vale of Wrath, William discovers a painter hanging beside his easel. To complete the quest, gain entry to the cabin, use a clue to locate the grave on the hill, then make your way through a cellar and cave system to find the painter’s final letter. You cannot miss this quest. If you pass the house on your first visit, fast travel back to the Under the Bridge lantern later and finish it.
Quick answer: Interact with the attic painting to start the quest, take the Basement Key from the hilltop grave, then read the Painter’s Final Letter in the cellar shrine to earn Butcher’s Carnage.
Painter’s house location in the Vale of Wrath
With no map available, rely on landmarks for navigation. Start from the Under the Bridge lantern; the dirt track leads to a carriage displaying a blue marker. Defeat the enemies gathered around it before moving on. Take the side path away from the main story route toward the two-story wooden house. It’s the only building along this stretch, so you’ll spot it easily once past the carriage.
You need Fire Transmutation unlocked before you go in. The cellar is sealed by fleshy webbing that only fire clears. You also need a firearm for the Nephtoglobin bulbs that block the route.
How to enter the cabin and start In the Name of Art
A Howler lurks by the doghouse at the side of the building. Kill it before you start lining up shots, or it will jump you mid-aim.
The quest description says the painting seems to point toward a small grave on the nearby cliff. You can collect a Standard Firearm Parts pickup in the attic before you leave.
Basement Key location at the daughter’s grave
Return to the ground floor and go outside. Climb the slope that has opened next to the wooden fence; a small grave marked by a cross and a burning candle waits at the top. The grave is the painter’s daughter’s. Approach it to trigger a memory showing two grieving figures, then take the Basement Key from its base. The quest updates once the key is in your inventory.
Outside the house, a red chest contains Superior Firearm Parts. Hold the interact key for about two seconds to open it; a tap won’t work. Collect these as well as the separate parts pickup in the attic.
Basement and cave route to the painter’s shrine
How to confirm In the Name of Art is complete
Two things appear at once when the quest finishes. A Quest Complete banner shows up, and the Butcher’s Carnage amber is added to your inventory. The journal entry then lists three deaths tied to the house. The daughter was poisoned, the wife was strangled, and the painter took his own life.
If the quest remains incomplete, make sure you read the Painter’s Final Letter at the altar. Entering the shrine alone will not finish it; the letter must be read to complete the quest.
With Butcher’s Carnage equipped, William recovers Health by landing melee hits, while Ferrofluid Flasks no longer restore any health. The amber can reach rank 3. This suits builds focused on close-range combat, but it becomes a liability in encounters where melee range is unsafe.
In the Name of Art loot and item values
The cabin and its tunnels also hold several useful items, and an Epic Catalyst Clot can be picked up in the area. Here are the figures for each pickup on the route.
| Item | Where on the route | Effect or use | Price / sell |
|---|---|---|---|
 Standard Firearm Parts | Attic | Firearm upgrades | $1,500 |
 Superior Firearm Parts | Red chest outside | Firearm upgrades | — |
 Pistol Cartridges | Basement corridor | Refills 5 Pistol rounds | 200 / 100 |
 Legendary Catalyst Clot | Basement floor | Grants 1,000 Catalysts | 2,000 / 1,000 |
 Epic Catalyst Clot | Around the house | Grants 700 Catalysts | 1,400 / 700 |
 Flaming Whetstone | Flooded tunnels | Your weapon inflicts burns on hit for several attacks. | 300 / 150 |
Standard Firearm Parts cover the early levels of all three firearms. The Pistol, Blunderbuss, and Musket each need one part for level 2, two for level 3, and three for level 4. James’s Iron Bench also stocks them, two at a time.
Both catalyst clots stack to 99, so you can hold them and use them later instead of spending them right away.
Pistol Cartridges and Flaming Whetstones are both capped at 3 carried. From Chapter 5 onward, James’s Iron Bench sells Flaming Whetstones, and it sells cartridges from the start of the game.
The Basement Key is a pickup found in the Vale of Wrath. Its only purpose is opening the painter’s cellar.
Fire Transmutation is the tool that gets you past the cellar webs. It ignites enemies and objects and deals damage over time. That makes it effective against the Carrion and Spewers behind each blockage.
| Fire Transmutation level | Damage | Ignite damage | Upgrade cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 4 | — |
| 2 | 17 | 4.5 | Crude Transmutation Material x2 |
| 3 | 18 | 5 | Pure Transmutation Material x2 |
| 4 | 19 | 5.5 | Distilled Transmutation Material x2 |
| 5 | 20 | 6 | Quintessential Transmutation Material x1 |
In the Name of Art story notes in order
The quest’s four documents tell the family’s story in sequence.
- Shrike’s Appeal presents Resistance propaganda urging people to attack Napoleon’s army by using deception instead of brute force.
- Cryptic Note – Wolf is a rebel letter to the painter, whose code name is Wolf, requesting poison potent enough to wipe out an entire regiment.
- Wolf’s Note – Poison is his reply. He says the poison is ready, but his wife has watched him closely since their child died.
- Painter’s Final Letter is his confession. His wolfsbane poison killed his own child, and he strangled his wife when she threatened to tell the French.
The shrine you find at the end is his attempt at penance. He laid his wife out with flowers and candles, and he hanged himself in the attic above. Once you read his letter, the house has nothing left to give, and the exit door leads back to the Vale of Wrath.
