The Abimaat are an offshoot of the basin region Apinaat people: when the southern invasion of the Apinaat Hordes was broken by the allied Gican and Cianjian, they remained trapped in the South and settled there. They live off their caviþ herds in a climate much colder and arid than the one their ancestors were born to. The Abimaat are pygmies: the caviþ (pronounced cha-vith) they raise and ride would be too small for adult antioles of any other nation. They frequently enter in violent conflict with the Cianjian, but have reached fragile accords with the Gichan among which their services as mounted warriors or messengers are highly valued.
Life south of the Kantishian mountains is hard for the Abimaat. Their life's blood, the caviþ, are not adapted to the much colder climate, and they frequently suffer frost injuries to their bare legs and necks. The increased care needs has much reduced the number of animals an Abimaat clan can keep, diminishing their wealth and food security. Where the Apinaat loved their livestock, the Abimaat treasure them, putting the same amount of work into saddle blankets and neck warmers as they do for their own clothes. Abimaat produce beautiful tapestry works, woven in a single piece to their final shape. Their work is not fine, producing heavy fabrics of thick yarns, but the colorwork, dovetailed color joints, and striking abstract shapes gives it a high value nonetheless.
