Editing Conflict beyond the Wall (section)

==The King-Beyond-the Wall and the Great Ranging==
:{{See also|Mance Rayder|Great ranging}}

Even before the beginning of [[Robert's Rebellion]], [[Mance Rayder]], the [[King-Beyond-the-Wall]], was gathering wildling forces around him in an attempt to stave off attacks from the Others and recover the [[Horn of Winter]]. The Horn was needed as a fail-safe against the Night's Watch, as it was reputed in legend to be able to bring down the entire Wall with a single sounding. While most thought that the Horn was just a myth, Mance believed not only that it was real but that he could find it, deep in the frozen mountains known as the [[Frostfangs]].

After the disappearance of a group of rangers led by Ser [[Waymar Royce]],{{Ref|aGoT|Prologue}} a second group led by First Ranger [[Benjen Stark]] goes north to find their missing Brothers and discover what is becoming of all the wildlings. After the subsequent disappearance of this second group, and the continued realignment of known wildling population centers, Lord Commander [[Jeor Mormont]] organizes a [[great ranging]] of over 300 Brothers and leads them north to an ancient settlement near the [[Skirling Pass]], east of the Frostfangs, called the [[Fist of the First Men]].{{Ref|aGoT|70}}{{Ref|aCoK|13}}

While Lord Commander Mormont leads his small army north, several groups are dispatched by the Watch to scout ahead. One of these groups is led by [[Qhorin Halfhand]], a senior ranger and the second in command of the [[Night's Watch]] western-most castle, the [[Shadow Tower]]. Accompanied by three other rangers and [[Jon Snow]], a bastard of [[House Stark]], the Halfhand discovers a vast wildling host deep in the Frostfangs. The group is trapped by wildling forces and either killed or goes missing one by one until only the Halfhand and Jon Snow remain. At this point, to ensure that someone survives to bring word back to the Lord Commander, Qhorin Halfhand allows Snow to slay him in a duel, thereby earning Snow the trust of the wildlings. With the destruction of the Halfhand's party, and Snow's inability to escape in time, the Lord Commander receives no warning of the wildling host's purpose or composition, now numbering over a hundred thousand.