Stannis sends ravens to the Northern houses asking for their support in the name of the legitimate king, but only House Karstark and a small faction of House Umber swear allegiance. Stannis has Mance Rayder burned at the stake, and most of the Wildlings end up bending the knee to Stannis, although Stannis is unaware that Melisandre had used blood magic to disguise Mance as his lieutenant, the Lord of Bones, and vice versa. To rally the northern houses to his side, Stannis intends to attack House Bolton's castle The Dreadfort with the help of Arnolf Karstark, castellan of Karhold. In reality, Arnolf is working with the Boltons, hoping to entrap Stannis and have his great-nephew Harrion Karstark (who is the heir of Karhold and captured by House Lannister as hostage) executed, so his branch of the family can take control of Karhold. Jon Snow, however, advises Stannis to march west instead and attack the Ironborn invaders, so that he can rally the Northern lords in the west coast and the northern mountain clans. In exchange, Jon wants the Wildling prisoners so he can reinforce the defense of the Wall. Stannis accepts Jon's counsel and defeats the Ironborn holding Deepwood Motte and taking Asha Greyjoy captive. He restores the castle to House Glover, thus winning their support and that of the nearby House Mormont. He then marches on Winterfell to confront the Boltons, joined by the men of Arnolf Karstark and Mors Umber, but his army is waylaid by heavy snows and forced to camp at a small crofter's village three days' marching away from Winterfell.