LetsGoRed
The North says "After a player wins a Military challenge and there is at least 1 Military Battle plot card revealed, kneel all cards named The North. Then, that player may choose and kill a character of STR 2 or lower." Is this a passive effect that occurs in response to the Military challenge being resolved and would occur after the claim is already taken? Does it occur before the claim is taken? Or is it simultaneous with the claim and thus the first player decides the order in which The North's effect and the claim are carried out?

ktom
When a challenge resolves, it looks like this:

1: Initiate -
a) determine winner of the challenge
b) choose targets for claim effects (if applicable)
c) determine if unopposed should be awarded
d) determine if Renown should be awarded

2: Save/Cancel -
(save/cancels vs. any and all of 1a - 1d)

3: Resolve -
a) challenge is "officially" won
b) settle claim effects
c) award unopposed (if applicable)
d) award Renown (if applicable)

4: Passives -
(anything triggered passively to something in 1-3 above MUST happen now)

5: Responses -
(anything chosen to trigger in response to something in 1-4, or earlier in 5, CAN be triggered now)

6: End -
(remove moribund cards from play)

The important thing to recognize is that ALL passives are held until #4. That is, you do not settle passives to winning/losing the challenge until claim is settled, unopposed is awarded and renown is claimed. (A lot of people try to insert passives triggered by winning/losing/resolving the challenge in before claim is settled).

So, The North ALWAYS happens after claim is settled; there is no choice of order. HOWEVER, if the military challenge also happened to be Deadly (in favor of the attacker), THAT would be a conflicting passive and the First Player would determine whether Deadly or The North happened first (after claim, of course).