The Silver Crow Chapter 1 Solution (Ash and Wax)

Finish The Silver Crow Chapter 1 (Ash and Wax) fast – every step, item location, and the 3 missable achievements in order.

Chapter 1 has seven main tasks, in this order:

1. Get dressed and feed your backyard animal
2. Heal Kaspar with a potion
3. Investigate the painter’s murder scene
4. Interrogate the wine merchant in the dungeon
5. Search his house for a hidden letter
6. Break into the painter’s house for a second key
7. Track down Hans through the patrician lady and the church beggar

It takes about 30–40 minutes and has 3 missable achievements – they’re flagged below at the exact moment you’d miss them.

1. Morning Routine

1. Open the chest by your bed.
2. Talk to your wife downstairs – your clothes are in the backyard.
3. Grab the Kitchen Scraps from the kitchen and feed them to the animal in the backyard. (Do this now – you can’t come back for it later.)
4. Put on your clothes.
5. Answer the door and talk to the noble lady about Kaspar.

2. Heal Kaspar

You need Spirits, Herbs, and Bandages (all nearby).

1. Crush the herbs with the mortar.
2. Mix the crushed herbs into the spirits.
3. Wrap the bottle in bandages.
4. Apply the potion to Kaspar’s leg.

You get 10 coins for this.

3. Investigate the Crime Scene

Follow the guardian to the murder scene and examine everything you can: the portrait of the wine merchant, the Silver Crow heirloom, the candle, and the pentagram on the floor. Pick up the Black Feather.

Talk to the Witch Hunter, then examine the victim’s wounds, face, and bag.

When asked to draw conclusions, pick:

1. The painter was killed by crows.
2. The wine merchant is the suspect.

4. Interrogate the Merchant (Dungeon)

Head to the Council Chamber, then down into the Dungeon. Before you start questioning the merchant, examine and correctly identify all three torture devices – Pliers, Iron Maiden, and Rack.

• This is required for the achievement, and it’s only possible before the interrogation starts. Pick up the Pliers while you’re down here too.

Once you begin the interrogation, use the Pliers on the merchant. When the ghostly vision appears, choose Listen Carefully.

He’ll tell you two things:

• There’s a hidden letter in his house.
• The house key is under the flower pot by the window.

5. Search the Merchant’s House

1. Grab the key from the flower pot outside.
2. Go in and check the wine barrels and bottles.
3. Find and read the hidden letter.

The letter tells you Kaspar is actually the painter’s son, and that there’s a second key hidden behind Kaspar’s portrait — inside the painter’s house.

6. Break Into the Painter’s House

The front door is blocked, so go around to the alley. There’s a cart back there missing a wheel – you need it to reach the second-floor window.

Getting the wheel:

1. Go to the tavern: On your way in, examine the feather barrel outside – it’s easy to walk past and won’t be available once you move on.
2. Talk to the bartender.
3. Head back to the merchant’s house and grab the wine barrel upstairs.
4. Trade the barrel to the bartender for the cart wheel.
5. Fix the cart, then climb through the window.

Once inside:

1. Take the key behind Kaspar’s portrait.
2. Cover the mouse hole with the sack.
3. Use the Pliers to pull out the key and the blood-stained Silver Crow head.
4. Talk to the maid in the kitchen.
5. Use the key to unlock the cellar cupboard.
6. Take the Lock of Hair and the Painting of the Boy.

7. Find Hans

1. Go to the patrician lady’s house and show her servant the Lock of Hair to get in.
2. Talk to the lady – she tells you Hans grew up at the church.
3. Talk to the priest at the church. He won’t give you anything useful yet – that’s normal, don’t waste time trying every dialogue option.
4. Instead, talk to the beggar outside.
5. Buy a beer from the tavern and give it to him.

The beggar tells you the priest sneaks out of the church every midnight. Chapter 1 ends here.

Missable Achievements – Quick Checklist

• Feed the backyard animal before leaving home (Step 1)
• Identify all 3 torture devices before questioning the merchant (Step 4)
• Examine the feather barrel outside the tavern (Step 6)

Read more: Chapter 1 Solution (Ash and Wax) | Chapter 2 Solution (The Moon and Iron) | Chapter 3 Solution (Fire and Feather)