The Murchadhs are Earls of Earls of Uisdean. Their ancestral home is Caer Murchadh, located on the island of Uisdean Mor. A seafaring people known colloquially as the “Sea Kings,” they are notorious raiders and fishers who operate in the inshore waters between the Easter Isles and the mainland of Dael Riata.

The current and 7th Earl is Diarmid Murchadh. He succeeded to the title after his cousins, the 5th and 6th Earls, were killed by the King.

Genealogy: Diarmid (born 739) is 35 years old and married to his second wife, Senga Riata (19), with whom he has a daughter, Caoimhe (6 months). He has a son, Diarmid (11), from his first marriage to Niamh Sioltach, who died in childbirth.

Lineage: The Earldom was created in 530 for Malcolm Murchadh (495–589), who established an unassailable raiding force on Uisdean and allied with the Sioltach to help House Ranald take the crown from the Riata dynasty.

The Murchadhs are notable raiders, and much of their wealth comes from raiding. Apart from dried fish the only other notable export from their islands is the stone.

The history of the Murchadhs is one of martial prowess and increasing friction with the central crown:

• The Sea Warrior Era: The 2nd Earl (Iain) was a successful raider killed in a sea battle with the Skyssian Navy in 628. The 3rd Earl, Earsaid, fell at the Battle of Dalry in 666.
• The 4th Earl's Heroism: Iain Murchadh distinguished himself at Dalry, personally killing King Edmund II of Bernicia in hand-to-hand combat. He later died in battle in Bernicia (739) while fighting for King Alasdair IV.
• Disestablishment from Norpen (749): The family was removed from the lands of Norpen following a failed plot by Earl Domnhall to kidnap Queen Caoimhe and force a marriage to claim the throne. To “clip their wings,” the crown installed the Gilranalds in Norpen.
• The Rebellion and Overthrow (756/7): Earl Domnhall led the noble coalition that forced Queen Caoimhe to abdicate, citing her scandalous relationship with a Skyssian merchant and her attempts to re-introduce Skyssian gods.
• The Massacre at Caer Suibhne (774): King Alasdair V invited Earl Domnhall and his brother Fearchar to a private dinner at Caer Suibhne to negotiate peace. After dinner the Suibhne family left the two parties to negotiate. Raised voices were heard, and the clash of steel. When the Earl of Douglas entered the great hall he found the King's Steward cleaning his sword, the King staunching blood from a wound to his face, and both of the Murchadh brothers dead on the floor, their drawn swords next to them. Alasdair V asserted that they'd tried to kill him, and only his Steward's swift defence had saved his life. Despite the laws of hospitality, both brothers were killed. The King claimed self-defence against an assassination attempt by the brothers, while the Murchadhs maintain it was a calculated murder by the King and his Steward, Iain Alpin. You don't believe this story for a moment, your cousins had quarrelled with the King, but they wouldn't break hospitality. They hung one of their main lieutenants for that only a year ago.

Current Status: Under threat of total extirpation and the loss of all ancestral lands, the current Earl Diarmid was forced to swear an oath of allegiance to the King.

• sioltach - A long-standing and vital alliance; the Earls of Duffjord supply the timber necessary for the Murchadhs to build and maintain your fleet.
• gilruary - The Murchadhs maintain a professional relationship with the Earl of Dalmuir, purchasing some of the fastest ships in the world from his superior shipyards.
• aonghus - your southern neighbours in Beathan; the two families often coordinate raiding expeditions away from Dael Riata.
• The Alpins - Historically allied during the civil wars. There is a blood connection through Raonaid Murchadh, who was married to Bhaltair Alpin before her death in 759.

• Bhaltair Gilranald - not only a usurper planted on your rightful lands by the notoriously fickle Queen Caoimhe. He was the one that set up the meeting between your cousin, the fifth Earl, and the King.
• ranald - he killed your cousins, and threatened you with extirpation. Blood shed needs to be paid for, either with more blood, or a suitable fee.
• ahearn - The horse lords in the south spurn the sea, and yet roll in the riches from fertile farmland, and bribes from the southern kingdom of Bernicia. They've kept Alasdair Ranald in power, and need to be discredited before he becomes King of Bernicia and forgets the smaller and poorer Dael Riata.