Mittoris Tyrattis (1421 b.S. to 1388 b.S.) was a Kyrattin Trader from the former Kingdom of Kyrania. He lived for most of his adult life on a small farm south of the Steppe of Kruswik and north of Naios, where he raised, studied and traded the kyrattin that he owned. He wrote his practices down in a journal he kept titled "Of the Raising and Trading of Kyrattin".

While he was not the first person to trade and raise kyrattin, he did keep meticulous records of what he did and these records exist until today. Although his writings are both tedious and boring, they do form the basis of the practices of kyrattin trading and raising even today and provide insight into everyday life of farmers in the former Kyranian Kingdom.

Appearance. Kyranian to his finger tips, Mittoris stood at just over one and a half peds in height. He was of slender build with sinewy muscles. Mittoris’ hair, beard and moustache were dark brown in colour for most of his adult life. In his latter years, Mittoris’ hair, beard and moustache were touched with grey. Throughout his life, Mittoris kept his hair and facial hair neatly trimmed. His eyes were dark green in colour and often appeared to be alive with mirth. His facial features were classical Kyranian – he possessed a strong bow, high forehead and broad jaw. Like all other Kyranian boys who could claim Kyranian ancestry, Mittoris had the Kyranian coat of arms tattooed onto his back at fourteen.

As the son of merchants, Mittoris worked both inside and out in the sun and his skin was tanned a light brown. This, combined with his later life as a trader and raiser of kyrattin, saw Mittoris appear older than he actually was due to the impact of the sun on his fair skin. The sun made his skin winkled, burned and leathery looking. Mittoris had a plump, round belly, a clear indication of his love of the cooking of Beyetta Laryisa. She was a Kyranian cook, with whom he shared many personal and intimate encounters.

As a youth and young adult, he wore the fine clothes typical of the merchant class in Kyranian society and delighted in the finery they afforded him. When he acquired the farm and began trading in Kyrattin, his normal attire was typical of the common class of the Kyranians. He tended to favour blues and greens in clothing, although there was a red cloak and vest as well that got him into troubles with the kyrattin from time to time.

Personality. The best way to describe Mittoris’ personality is tedious. He went into great detail about everything and anything that takes his fancy. For most of his adult life, this was kyrattin cattle, however for a period of time he was just as enthusiastic about the cook Beyetta Laryisa. Even though he cared deeply for her, his first and abiding love were the kyrattin, a fact that she lamented but a love with which she couldn’t compete.

As a Kyranian, Mittoris had a rather simple outlook on life - always do your best. His enthusiasm for the kyrattin took this to extremes most of the time, and on more than one occasion, visitors to his farm would purposefully avoid him. One incident in the Kyranian census of 1400 b. S. which happened was when Reosik Taludin of the Kyranian General Council wrote of his time spent on the farm and warned people to 'avoid this most tedious and boring of Kyranians'. He wrote of being waylaid and bailed up by the farmer who proceeded to talk at him about the kyrattin. His recommendation was 'if you have to choose between staying at the Mittoris Tyrattin farm or staying on the side of the road, choose the road. It is far less painful'.

Biography. Birth (1421 b.S.). Mittoris was born to Tyrattis and Michomere, kyrattin leather merchants from the city of Naios in the southern part of the Kyranian kingdom in Southern Sarvonia. Mittoris was their first and only child. Mittoris’ parents sold leather for the grips on sengren axes and other weapons including axes and swords, shoes, jackets and other useful items.

Early Childhood (1421-1412 b.S.). Mittoris had the standard upbringing for a child of the merchant class in Kyranian society. He learned to read and write and to count. He was also given rudimentary skills in the arts of the merchant by his parents. By the time Mittoris was nine, he began going on business trips with his father, having his first encounter with the kyrattin, an encounter which he would freely admit later on in his journal ‘terrified him senseless’.

Latter Childhood (1411-1407 b.S.). At ten, Mittoris began to receive training in the sword, and like most Kyranian youths he found it an impost. He continued to accompany his father on business trips and began to develop his interest in kyrattin, keeping notes about them at this stage and asking questions of kyrattin traders about the beasts. At fourteen, he went through the manhood ceremony which included the tattooing of the Kyranian coat of arms just below his shoulder blades.

Apprenticeship (1406-1405 b.S.). Mittoris’ slender shoulders and limited ability with the sword meant that he was not forced to join the military for two years. Instead, he became an apprentice to his father, furthering his training as a merchant. He proved to be of quick study. He began keeping his journal during this time. His journal was written on parchment and records the practices he learned and refined during his life. Towards the end of his apprenticeship, he travelled through some farmlands near Naios and learned that an old kyrattin farmer had died with no heir. Using the money he had amassed, Mittoris acquired the farm from the farmer’s widow and set her up for a life of relative luxury during her latter years. Mittoris also kept on the farm workers that the previous owners of the property had hired.

Met Beyetta Laryisa (1405 b.S.). One day while out inspecting his kyrattin, Mittoris’ eyes were drawn to an attractive young Kyranian woman on the farm next to his. He wrote a number of pages in his journal about her, describing, in great detail, the various aspects of her that he found most appealing. When he spoke with her, he learned that her name was Beyetta Laryisa, that she was fifteen and that she was learning to be a cook. A quote from his journal would do justice at this point...

"Of the Raising and Trading of Kyrattin" (1405-1390 b.S.). Now having completed his apprenticeship, and living and working full time on his farm, Mittoris turned his attention to the raising and trading of kyrattin. He would talk with his farm workers and other farmers about their experiences with these bovines and then try their efforts for himself, taking detailed and meticulous notes on what worked and what didn't work. During this time, he also recorded his thoughts on what was going on in Kyrania at that time, focusing both on his local area and on events further afield. His work was therefore also useful as a social commentary on the kingdom as it was at that time.

Another extract from "Of the Raising and Trading of Kyrattin" helps to illustrate this last point:

Decline and Death (1390-1388 b.S.) [3]. In 1390, Mittoris suddenly started forgetting things. Initially, it was little things, like the names of distant relatives, but it got progressively worse. Beyetta, his long time friend, cared for him during his illness, and her writings on this period showed her deep concern for him. As the months went on, he progressively forgot to do more things, including caring for the kyrattin to which he had devoted his life. When he started to forget Beyetta's name, she was deeply concerned for him, but found that he would remember when reminded by her. Finally in 1388 b.S., during the month then known as Harven under the old Cournanian Calendar, but is now known as Sleeping Dreameress, Beyetta noted in her writings that Mittoris had died, apparently in his sleep.

Importance. The importance of Mittoris lies in the fact that he was the first person to keep detailed records of successful practices with regards to the raising and trading of kyrattin. He was not the first person to raise and trade these cattle, however he did keep detailed and meticulous information on what did and did not work. Many of the practices he described back then are used today by cattle farmers throughout the lands bounded by the former Kyranian kingdom, predominately the southern reaches of the Steppe of Kruswick, where people still trace their roots as being Kyranian. In addition to the above, his writings also served as a window on the day to day life of the working classes of Kyranian society during the heyday of the kingdom and provide social and political insights into the inner workings of the kingdom.
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Notes.

[1] Analysis of historical records indicates that this was the year 1405 based on other events that have been mentioned in Mittoris’ Journal. [Back]

[2] When referring to Mittoris' Journal and Beyetta's cookbook, both the month name under the previously used Cournanian Calendar and the modern Santharian Calendar are listed to aid the modern reader in identifying the months indicated. [Back]

[3] It is possible that what was described by Beyetta was the Efer'Avél disease, although that term wasn't identified for another seven hundred odd years after this. Whether it was that disease or not is lost to the mysteries of time. [Back]

28th Molten Ice 1670 a.S. Information provided by Deklitch Hardin