Source of Inspiration is the 2nd DLC quest in the Brushes With Death expansion of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. This walkthrough will guide you through all objectives of the Source of Inspiration DLC quest.
- Starting Location: Trosky Region > Trosky Castle
- Quest Giver: Master Voyta (Enigmatic Painter)
- Requirement: Own Brushes With Death DLC and finished A Sketchy Situation.
- Reward: Reputation
- Quest Type: Side Quest
- Quest Description: The painter has heard of a shrine of the pagan god Veles located somewhere in the area. He would like to find it and use it as inspiration for one of his paintings. However, he doesn’t know where the shrine is and needs my help to find it.
- DLC Required: Brushes With Death
Upon completing the previous quest A Sketchy Situation, you can continue talking to Master Voyta in Trosky Castle and pick the dialogue “Can I help you with anything else?“. This will start his second quest.
To gain reputation pick these dialogues: “Can I help you with anything else?” > “I just like helping” (Reputation+) > “Sort of” (Reputation+) > “They’re more like exceptions, aren’t they?” > “You’re probably right” > “Doesn’t ring any bells” (the skill check “I think so” is very hard to succeed) > exhaust the questions: “Why does this interest you?” > “How do you know about this place?” > “I’ll help you” > “How do you know the old woman knows something?” > “Where can I find this old woman?” > (Leave).
He wants you to find the Shrine of the god Veles, but only the old woman at Vidlak Pond knows where it is.
Speak to the old woman
You will get a waypoint marker at Vidlak Pond, in the northwest of Trosky region. If you’ve been there before you can fast travel to it. You must talk to the old woman Kvyetoslava. At day she will sit outside her cottage.
What dialogues you pick doesn’t matter, the conversation always progresses in the same. Henry offers to plug 5 valerian flowers for her, to jog her memory where the shrine might be.
Pick the old woman’s favorite flowers (0/5)
You can talk to the woman again to ask where valerian grows. She tells you to check the meadow behind the cottage by the stream. Valerian looks like a small white flower.
From where the “Vidlak Pond” fast travel icon is on the map, head a few steps north onto the meadow, there you find more than enough Valerian. It grows close to the little creek that flows into Vidlak Pond. It’s the meadow directly behind Kvyetoslava’s house, around 15 meters northeast from the corner of her house. About 10 meters north of where two horses graze.
Afterward, return to the woman and tell her “I’ve picked your favourite flowers”. Select 5 Valerian from the inventory and choose the deliver option.
The woman now wants you to fix her dress. What dialogues you pick with her doesn’t matter.
Repair Kvyetoslava’s old dress
Fast travel to Troskowitz and go to the tailor. Talk to him and pick the “Repair” option, under Other Clothes pick “Kvyetoslava’s dress”. It will cost around 16 groschen depending on your reputation. If you have tailor’s kits in your inventory you can also use those to repair it.
MISSABLE TROPHY: 
Poet’s Gut (Every strophe is a work of art)
Before you return to the old woman make sure you have at least 20 Scholarship skill (viewable under Player > Skills) & 19+ Charisma. Make a manual save before talking to the old woman again (in pause menu Save & Quit). You can quickly raise Scholarship by buying all books from scribes in Kuttenberg and reading them, including skill books (Kuttenberg is reached during Main Quest 16: Into the Underworld). For high Charisma make sure you put on fine clothes, can be bought from the tailor if you don’t already have a good outfit. Additionally, the speech skill “Ladies’ Man” grants a +2 bonus to all skill checks, so if your skill level is 2 below (18 Scholarship & 17 Charisma) you can still do it.
Now return to the old woman at Vidlak Pond and deliver her dress. Then she wants you to tell her a poem. For the trophy/achievement you have win all 4 skill checks in a row to get a unique dialogue with her afterward. Don’t pick the non-skill dialogues because these will void the trophy. If you fail a skill check it also voids the trophy.
Pick the following dialogues: “I’ve got your dress” (deliver it) > “Let’s dance, then” > “She yearned for something more” (Scholarship) > “He brought her gifts” (Charisma) > “They were equals” (Scholarship) > “Remember Veles” (Scholarship) –> Poet’s Gut unlocked > “Ask about the shrine one last time” > “That must be it!” > “Yes, I know him” > “Why careful?” (unlocks a unique dialogue with the painter later).
Note that it’s also fine to pick the other skill check options as long as they succeed. The only thing that matters is that you win all 4 skill checks in a row. Scholarship is the most reliable because it appears in 3 dialogue choices, but if your other stats are higher you can pick those. If you fail a skill check you must reload the save and spend time improving your skill levels.
The woman will now tell you of 3 places to search for the shrine, they will get marked on the map. The correct location is the river tributary of Lower Semine Pond. For sake of completion we’ll also go over the other two, but there’s no advantage in visiting the wrong locations. To save time you can skip straight to the correct location “search Search the river tributary of Lower Semine Pond”.
Search the rocky hill between the ponds (Optional – False Shrine)
Go to the search area south of Vidlak Pond. There in the woods you find a stone circle with a big boulder in the middle. It’s near the middle of the search area, just slightly north of the “D” marker on the map. Hold 
/ 
to look at the boulder. Then approach the boulder and press 
/ 
to “look around”.
This isn’t the correct shrine however, just unlocks the “Pegan Shrine” point of interest on the map here.
Find the source of the stream flower past Nebakov Fortress (Optional – False Shrine)
This is the search area furthest south-east. If you’ve visited Nebakov before, you can fast travel there. In the very center of the search area you find a fallen statue that lies in a small stream. Hold / to look at it, then / to inspect it from up close.
This isn’t the correct shrine either, it only marks another “Pegan Shrine” point of interest.
Search the river tributary of Lower Semine Pond (Correct Shrine) / Make sure the shrine is safe
The correct Veles Shrine location is at the middle quest marker “G”, at the river tributary of Lower Semine Pond. When you arrive, there will be 4 bandits who become hostile if you stay in the area. You have to kill them. Then look for the big stone face on the hillside. Press / to inspect it, then interact with the dead body in front of the stone face. This finishes the objective (no need to visit the other two shrines if you go here first).
If you didn’t kill the bandits already, you will get another objective “Make sure the shrine is safe” and must kill them now.
Return to the painter Voyta
After investigating the location at Lower Semine Pond, return to the painter in Trosky Castle where the quest started. Tell him “I found the shrine” > “Let’s go now”. The screen will fade to black and you get a cutscene at the Veles Shrine.
After the cutscene you talk to the painter again. The best options to gain reputation are: “I like it” (Reputation+) > “Did you find what you needed?” > “Kvyetoslava mentioned you…” (available if you followed the dialogue choices outlined here) > “She told me to be wary of you” > “You seem uneasy” > “Tell me straight” > “I wouldn’t think that”.
Regardless of what you pick, the painter will say he needs time to prepare before giving the next quest, but you can talk again immediately to start the next quest, or skip 24 hours until he respawns in Trosky Castle.
This finishes Source of Inspiration quest in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: Brushes with Death DLC.
Next up: Chiaroscuro
For all other Quests refer to Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Walkthrough.
