Bhaltair Gilranald is the Earl of Norpen, and for some time regent of Dael Riata during the minority of his cousin Alasdair V, King of Dael Riata. He is also the Marquess of Righ, and swears fealty twice to the King. Bhaltair is the second cousin of Alasdair V, King of Dael Riata, descended from the second son of King Alasdair III.

The ancestral home is Caer Righ, a castle guarding a strategic crossing of the river Righ in the Grand Duchy of Dalreoch. However the present Earl's father was translated to the Earldom of Norpen, on the northernmost of the Easter Isles. This was an overtly political move by the old Queen early in her reign as an effort to clip the wings of the The Murchadhs who had been causing trouble for generations.

The seat of the Earl is the walled city of Norpen, a very densely populated stone built haven from the Northern seas and the storms that rip across the open ocean to the North and West of the Easter Isles. There are about 10,000 people in the city, and a similar number farming across the collection of isles.

The current Earl is Bhaltair Gilranald.

They are is 36 years old, and is currently married to Eilidh Alpin. They have five surviving children

1. Tormoid (16), is the eldest & heir.
2. Ealasaid (14), is second and currently betrothed to the elder son of the Earl of Suddal
3. Ranald (10)
4. Aonghas (8)
5. Oighrig (4)

Although new to the islands the Gilranalds have worked hard to establish the sea focus of the other island Earls. When the Earls of Uisdean were disestablished on Norpen many of the more skilled seafaring folk left with them, and the tradition takes time to establish. Some 25 years on there are signs of it returning, but it will continued effort to develop local shipbuilding skills and attract more veteran seafarers to pass their skills along to the new generations.

There's an active stone quarry that exports local stone for building. There are also lots of fishing vessels, seaweed collection, and some iron ore deposits. There's a lot of trading both with the Kingdom and more widely across the world.

The Earl has a letter of justice from the King enabling his ships to intercept raiders and keep the prizes. This has been a very good source of income over the last decade.

In addition to the lands in the Easter Isles the Earl of Norpen still holds lands as the Marquess of Righ within the Grand Duchy of Dalreoch. These are mostly feudal villages engaged in agriculture. These account for about a quarter of his income, and the second town (Caer Righ).

Bhaltair spent four years as the regent, from 765-9. Initially he was chosen for his close relation to the King and that the Earls of Duffjord and Suddal both thought that they'd be able to steer him effectively. It turned out that Bhaltair was more adept than they'd expected, and while both Suddal and Gilranald came out of the arrangement ahead, Duffjord took offence when neither of them supported his attempt to move his northern border from the river Muir so that he could work both sides of the forest for ship-building timber.

In his time as regent Bhaltair engaged the King in decisions, and made sure he was well lead. This early introduction to the murky world of politics allowed the King to assert his right to rule in his mid-teens. It's also shown up in how the King has ruled, and the methods that he's used to enforce strong central control on Dael Riata. The country has not been this unified in living memory. Bhaltair Gilranald remains unswervingly loyal to his cousin, the King.

• The Alpins
• ahearn
• ranald

• The Murchadhs
• gilriata
• suibhne