The exact drawings puzzle solution Remorses players need to open the Fogway Attic safe is 4-Right, 7-Left, 2-Right, 9-Left, 5-Right. You derive this combination by counting the hidden crows in the five child sketches scattered around Westbrook Mansion and ordering them by the moon phases drawn in their top-right corners.
Twistedline Games designed this mid-game hurdle to force players out of their comfort zones. Instead of camping in the well-lit Foyer, you must navigate the darkest corners of the mansion, managing your sanity meter by opening specific windows while hunting for these cryptic pieces of paper. The year is 1991, and strange disappearances are plaguing Rivervalley, a remote town in the Lakota Territory. You play as Jake Lepistow, an investigator from Beaver Hills, Minnesota, drawn to the abandoned Westbrook Mansion.
The game’s sound design—crafted by veterans behind heavy-hitting horror titles—makes every floorboard creak feel lethal. But the true terror lies in the puzzles, which offer zero handholding. This guide breaks down exactly where to find the sketches, how to decode their grim imagery, and how to execute the safe combination without attracting the malevolence.
The Lore Behind Abigail's Sketches
Before you start sprinting through the dark corridors, understanding what you are actually holding adds terrifying context to the puzzle. Abigail Westbrook was the first victim of the 1991 Rivervalley disappearances. The notes found later in the NightShift chapter reveal that she was taken to the mansion's basement and forced to participate in a ritual to summon the malevolence.
Each of her five sketches documents a specific phase of that ritual. The "Weeping Moon" represents the night she was taken. The "Burning Tree" symbolizes the destruction of the Lakota Territory's sacred grove. The "Empty Cradle" is a grim nod to the other missing children from Beaver Hills. The "Blind Hound" depicts the sacrifice of the family dog, whose remains you can actually find buried beneath the Greenhouse floorboards. Finally, the "Witch's Pyre" foreshadows the game's ultimate ending.
Locating Abigail's 5 Ritual Sketches
Abigail Westbrook’s drawings are not just lore collectibles; they are the literal keys to the game’s first major progression block. Finding all five requires a full sweep of the mansion's ground and second floors. You will encounter the malevolent entity at least twice on this route, so prioritize stealth and keep your flashlight off whenever possible.
Remorses in-game screenshot
Sketch 1: The Weeping Moon (Fogway Attic)
The first drawing is pinned to a headless tailor’s dummy immediately to the left of the safe you are trying to open. It depicts a crying crescent moon over a barren field. Grab this first to establish the baseline for the puzzle. The attic air is suffocating, so interact with the skylight crank to vent the room before your vision starts blurring.
Sketch 2: The Burning Tree (Master Bedroom)
Head down to the second floor. The Master Bedroom is locked from the inside, requiring you to shimmy across the exterior ledge from the Bathroom window. Once inside, check underneath the four-poster bed. The sketch is shoved between the floorboards, depicting a massive oak tree engulfed in jagged red flames.
Sketch 3: The Empty Cradle (Greenhouse)
Navigate to the ground floor via the servant’s stairs to avoid the Shadow Stalker patrolling the main landing. In the Greenhouse, past the dead nightshade plants, you will find the alchemy table. The third sketch rests next to a heavy stone mortar and pestle. It shows a baby's crib surrounded by tall, distorted grass.
Sketch 4: The Blind Hound (Basement Boiler Room)
This is the most dangerous location. The basement is entirely unlit, and using your flashlight drains its limited D-cell batteries. Hug the right wall until you reach the massive iron furnace. The sketch is taped directly to the boiler door. It shows a dog with hollowed-out eyes being picked apart by birds. If you hear heavy breathing, immediately crouch behind the coal pile.
Sketch 5: The Witch's Pyre (Living Room)
Return to the ground floor. The Living Room fireplace is unlit, but the flue is closed. Reach inside the ash-covered hearth to retrieve the final sketch. It illustrates a figure burning on a stake, surrounded by hooded onlookers. If the entity spawns while you are doing this, hide behind the heavy velvet curtains—do not run for the hallway, as the floorboards there will give away your position.
Decoding the Crows and Moon Phases
Once you have all five sketches in Jake Lepistow’s inventory, examine them closely. The game does not explicitly tell you what to look for, relying entirely on visual intuition to bridge the gap between the drawings and the safe mechanism.
First, look at the top right corner of each page. Abigail drew a distinct moon phase on every sketch. This dictates the sequence of the combination. The order follows the natural lunar cycle, starting from the New Moon and ending at the Full Moon.
Second, count the crows in each image. Some are obvious, while others are blended into the background elements using heavy charcoal strokes.
Remorses in-game screenshot
| Sketch Name | Moon Phase | Crow Count | Dial Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Weeping Moon | New Moon | 4 | Right |
| The Burning Tree | Waxing Crescent | 7 | Left |
| The Empty Cradle | Half Moon | 2 | Right |
| The Blind Hound | Waxing Gibbous | 9 | Left |
| The Witch's Pyre | Full Moon | 5 | Right |
The dial directions follow the standard mechanical safe logic: alternate directions starting with a right turn. Therefore, the numerical sequence 4-7-2-9-5 translates to 4-Right, 7-Left, 2-Right, 9-Left, 5-Right.
Executing the Code at the Fogway Attic Safe
Return to the Fogway Attic. The safe is a heavy, rusted iron box sitting on a reinforced wooden crate. Interaction here is fully manual—you must click and drag your mouse (or rotate your controller's thumbstick) to physically spin the dial.
Remorses in-game screenshot
Turn the dial right until you hit 4. Release. Turn left past zero to 7. Release. Turn right to 2. Turn left to 9. Turn right to 5.
If you overshoot a number, the internal tumblers will clank loudly. This resets the puzzle and incurs a massive 15% sanity penalty. Worse, the noise has a high probability of drawing the malevolence directly to the attic stairs. You must be precise with your inputs.
Upon successful entry, the heavy brass door swings open. Inside sits the Black Hemlock vial, resting on a velvet cushion. This is the mandatory catalyst required to brew the Witch's Bane potion in the next chapter.
Managing Sanity and Window Locations During the Route
Remorses punishes players who ignore their breathing. As Jake navigates the mansion, the oppressive atmosphere actively drains his sanity meter. If it drops below 20%, severe auditory hallucinations begin; below 5%, the entity instantly kills you.
Opening windows is your only lifeline. However, not all windows are safe. Some are painted shut, and struggling with them wastes precious time. Use this optimized fresh-air route while hunting the sketches:
- Kitchen Window: Located above the sink. It is latched tight. You must use the Rusty Knife from the pantry to pry it open. Do this immediately after getting the Greenhouse sketch.
- Stairwell Landing Window: The easiest access point between the first and second floors. Crack it open before heading to the Master Bedroom to stabilize your meter.
- Master Bedroom Balcony: Throwing these double doors wide open restores 40% of your sanity instantly, but the wind noise masks the sound of approaching footsteps. Close them before you leave the room.
Remorses in-game screenshot
Brewing the Witch's Bane Potion
With the Black Hemlock secured, your objective shifts from gathering to crafting. You only have four inventory slots, so you may need to drop non-essential items like Lighter Fluid to carry the vial back downstairs.
Take the Hemlock back to the Greenhouse alchemy table. Combine it with the Mortar and Pestle, the Dried Nightshade, and the Rivervalley Spring Water. This yields the Witch's Bane. Do not drink it. It is an offensive weapon meant to be thrown at the entity during the scripted encounter in the NightShift chapter. Holding it in your inventory also slightly reduces the passive sanity drain while exploring the basement.
Speedrun Strategy: Skipping the Sketches
For subsequent playthroughs, you do not actually need to collect the drawings. The safe code is static across all save files. If you already know the 4-7-2-9-5 sequence, you can walk straight to the Fogway Attic the moment you gain control of Jake.
Speedrunners have optimized this section down to a science. The current Any% world record route bypasses the Master Bedroom and Basement entirely. Players spawn in the Foyer, grab the Lighter Fluid from the coat rack, and immediately sprint up the servant's stairs to the Fogway Attic. By executing the dial inputs perfectly, they secure the Black Hemlock before the sanity meter even drops below 80%. This completely breaks the intended pacing of the first act, but Twistedline Games deliberately left the code static to reward player knowledge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I input the wrong code on the safe? The safe tumblers will jam, resetting the sequence. You will take a 15% hit to your sanity meter, and the loud clanking noise will alert the Shadow Stalker to your location. If you are playing on Hardcore difficulty, failing the combination instantly spawns the entity in the attic with you.
Can I drop the sketches after opening the safe? Yes. Once the Fogway Attic safe is open, the sketches serve no mechanical purpose. Drop them to free up inventory space for potion ingredients and flashlight batteries.
Why are there no crows on the Weeping Moon sketch? There are, but they are incredibly difficult to see. They are drawn in faint pencil against the dark charcoal sky in the upper left quadrant. Adjusting your monitor's gamma setting or using the in-game flashlight reveals them.
Where do I find the Rusty Knife to open the Kitchen window? The Rusty Knife is stabbed into a cutting board in the walk-in pantry, just off the main dining room. You need it to pry open several latched windows throughout the ground floor.