THE BRIEF
As Riftwatch is currently divided between the Gallows and a gloomy Hightown mansion in Kirkwall, the assembly (with their gear and their griffons already prepared) meets in the old Qunari compound turned Riftwatch stable yard on the Kirkwall docks to receive their assignment in person. With paper at such a premium these days, the only written copy of the orders is sent with them rather than filed among the towers' records. There is a silent implication not to lose it. Neither Flint or Julius is keen to reproduce it from memory.

That sheet reads:

For Immediate Dispatch,

Members of Forces and Project Sashamiri are to proceed to the foothills above Alhoven. Reports suggest the trading post there supports a nearby mining operation in the Blasted Hills, and that supplies are typically conveyed to and from by a mule team with a distinct spotted animal among them.

Follow the team and its return to the mine. From a reasonable distance, assess the state and organization of their work. Intercepted correspondence suggests the operation is being overseen by Augustus Naevius, a Venatori mage. What other opposition forces may be present is unclear. Upon completion of your evaluation, proceed to: disable and destroy the workings of the mine and its overseers; to recover any items or records of value; and then, to make your withdrawal.

Supplementary: should any opportunity present itself to damage the reputation of Tevinter in the region, or to discourage Alhoven from further trade relations with the Venatori, see it done.

-J. Flint

Rather than attempt to assess the value of any notes or correspondence, bring back anything you can reasonably secure without compromising the primary objective of disabling and destroying the mine. Even if a document turns out to be relatively useless, we can at least use the reverse side to supplement our paper supply.

- Julius

ALHOVEN
The village of Alhoven began life as a trading post. Nestled at the base of a rugged cut of the Blasted Hills, it primarily serves to supply logging, mining, and itinerant trappers with a line back to the wonders of civilization: hot meals cooked by someone else, protection both from the elements and the dangers of the wilderness, and carnal satisfaction for purchase. Observation or stealthy investigation may reveal the additional following information:

• Alhoven is currently hosting a modest detachment of Tevinter infantry.
  
• The village's central square, likely the footprint of the original trading post, is reasonably well fortified thanks to a wooden palisade. While it has no formal gates or portcullises, there is only one distinct (albeit unguarded) point of entry.
  
• A watchtower on the edge of town hosts a lookout, and braziers are kept burning at night to illuminate the main thoroughfares of the village. It's rare to see individuals in the streets alone after dark. A series of traps found in the foothills above the village where Riftwatch is stationed suggests there's been recent trouble with bears or wolves.
  
• The population skews older and rougher, with a majority qualifying as seasonal. That said, the village has begun to sprawl outward and there are signs that the rough and tumble lifestyle of the remote outpost may soon shift toward a more hardily domestic one. There is at least one very cute Anderfels baby bundled up against the winter weather, and one of the permanent structures is a Chantry chapel.
  
• The lack of agricultural infrastructure buried under snow and ice suggests Alhoven is entirely reliant on trade and its collected stores. They don't appear to be doing poorly for themselves.

THE MINE
The targeted red lyrium mining operation isn't much of a journey from Alhoven up and into the unforgiving Blasted Hills. Composed of just a few permanent triangular outbuildings and an array of equipment, the mine isn't all that expansive. What it is, however, (in total defiance of the weather and cold), is awfully productive. Careful observation, stealthy investigation, or the general chaos of the melee may reveal the following details:

• The camp's workforce predominantly consists of animated corpses being controlled by the Venatori mage overseeing the operation, Augustus Naevius. While it would ordinarily be impossible for a single necromancer to accomplish so much on his own, those familiar with other cases of corpses being animated and directed by the power of red lyrium may easily rationalize that's how Naevius is managing as well as he is.
  
• There are no more than ten non-corpses guiding the work, including the driver of the mule train. Where the animated dead are responsible for the bulk of picking and shifting stone down in the pit mine and for driving the treadmills of the various heavy machinery, the living workers are responsible for the finer work of keeping everything running smoothly. It's impossible to tell from observation if these harbitten living workers are non-mage soporati, mages in their own right, Tevinter soldiers who have become too apathetic to wear much of their armor, or enslaved men and women with a considerable amount of autonomy. That said, they are living in an apparent abundance of comfort. No one seems to be going cold or hungry, although the mood is deadly (ha ha) serious.
  
• The majority of the corpses are Anderfels natives. Though the residents of Alhoven must be unaware of it, it's likely that this, rather than hungry wildlife, may be the actual cause motivating the anti-predator precautions being taken in the village.
  
• There are also a number of corpses wearing Tevinter armor/fashions.
  
• In what is probably a totally unrelated note (it's definitely related), there are three bunkhouses in the compound. Only one seems to currently be in use for that purpose; the others have been turned into a barn and storehouse.
  
• The animated corpses work day and night without rest, overseen by living workers in rotating shifts. Naevius himself spends most of his day repairing damaged members of the undead workforce, re-allocating the division of undead labor, consumed with some weird red lyrium experimentation, or shut up in the outbuilding that serves as his quarters-slash-office (where through a window he can be seen to be feverishly writing).

Once the attack kicks off, it will quickly become apparent that Naevius is as dangerous as he is industrious. To make matters worse, if he isn't taken out of commission quickly, Riftwatch members will soon find themselves facing an army red-lyrium infested undead; if Naevius is successfully killed, the red lyrium will continue to make the spirits possessing the undead aggressive, but they'll be much easier to corral, kill, or weaponize without someone guiding them.