The Hwimik (Hwimpilh “persistent ones”; singular Hwimat) are a xtauh ethnolinguistic group native to the eastern Brightness. The Hwimik live on what is, even in the Brightness, relatively marginal land; the area has few topographic refuges to speak of, receives rain only intermittently, and, essentially, consists of a scattering of oases in the midst of an arid waste. More hospitable lands to the west and south are unavailable for settlement, being occupied by far more numerous and dangerous groups.

Most Hwimik are nomadic, but migrate in seasonal patterns; during the night, when the desert is cooler and more humid, they will go out and forage broadly, while during the day, they will - whenever possible - seek shade and water around their oases, which are also where they lay eggs and rear their young. They are largely hunter-gatherers, though many of them - particularly male bands - are not above extending the definition of hunting to poaching from the herds of neighboring tribes. Some families have managed to make a living from trade; these often run oasis trading posts and general stores, which serve as the nuclei of the daytime encampments.

As with other xtauh, and their evolutionary cousins the takmar, Hwimik females, when interacting with other females, are notably territorial and possessive of what they consider “theirs”. Surprisingly, for a nomadic group, this extends even to land; when a Hwimat matriarch leads her family out at night to forage, she picks a defined area in which to do so, and if she comes across another family group she may very well attempt to bully them into going elsewhere.

In recent cycles, an entire encampment of Hwimik disappeared during their daytime stay at Kayemat Oasis, leaving their much of their gear and uneaten food behind, but no sign of violence. Other Hwimik have since colonized Kayemat - waste not, want not - but those now using it as a base are slightly more paranoid than usual.

Female names tend to be nouns, intended to compare the bearer with some substance, object, or organism considered to have characteristics desirable for a female, such as stability, fertility, or martial prowess. Examples: Iktim “cliff”, Sanvo “sharp edge, as of a blade”, Ohwaita “a species of desert ephemeral, known for blooming in vast numbers after rain”.

The “names” that mothers give to their sons are, both in form and in use, more like descriptive labels. They tend to be a rather restricted set of adjectives describing how the mother thinks about her child, and are used just as often as adjectives as a proper name: it would not be unusual, for example, for a parent to call his or her son pekadlhit tiyenat “my curious son” as much as they would simply Tiyenat “curious (one)”. Used by itself, this name is considered appropriate for use only by parents and siblings; others referring to the child must generally clarify whose child is meant (for example, pekadvil tiyenat “your curious son”, or pekad tiyenat n-Ohwaita “Ohwaita's curious son”) since this style of name is often used by multiple children in the same area.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, male Hwimik, upon leaving their parents, take other names of their own choosing, and will not tell their birth-names to others, or countenance their continued use, except by parents or siblings. Usually these chosen names are self-descriptive in some fashion, either touting some self-perceived attribute or indicating some aspiration or ambition, and range from single words to short phrases: Peviy “a species of tall, narrow, thorny plant”, Sikekalht-Pahwit “I-Fly-High”.

The language of the Hwimik is Hwimpilh. Its word order is primarily SOV. Its verbs inflect for the person and number of the subject; its nouns inflect for number and take suffixes to indicate possession; adjectives follow their nouns, and inflect for number in agreement with them.

Hwimpilh is relatively homogenous; although mild variations exist at each oasis, grouping loosely into northern and southern dialects, the dispersal and mobility of most of the tribe's population has prevented major differences from appearing. Hwimpilh is a relative of the languages of the Pa'irket and Otarkit of the western Brightness, but is far separated from them and has absorbed considerable vocabulary from the unrelated languages immediately surrounding it.

Like most xtauh, Hwimik have no nudity taboo; and, indeed, a relative dearth of materials makes the wearing of clothing for any but utilitarian purposes somewhat wasteful.

The Hwimik tend to link femininity with the earth: like rock, a female should be solid and strong, unable to be easily moved; like soil, she pushes forth new life, or reclaims it from those who should not have it.

Females are highly conscious of their status, families, and possessions in relation to those of other females, though as a largely nomadic people “possessions” is mainly shorthand for large, loosely-defined areas of land, small personal possessions, and what might be called intellectual property - especially opinions. A good female is expected to defend all these things against encroachment, which involves a certain amount of outspokenness and assertiveness. Being unsuccessful at doing so will not necessarily lower her in the eyes of her peers if she makes every attempt to succeed, but she risks ridicule or derision if her efforts are deemed insufficient. Soft-spoken, shy, or conflict-avoidant females tend to be low-status, though this is somewhat more important to other females than it is to males.

Female xtauh are, on average, larger and stronger than males. While their lack of metallurgical techniques limits the choice of weapons available to the Hwimik and those wielded by each gender overlap substantially, females are able to more effectively wield weapons that leverage brute strength, such as heavy clubs or obsidian swords. This is true to the point that the latter is considered a particularly feminine weapon.

Male Hwimik are held to rather looser standards of behavior than are females, and what those standards are depends on who is judging. Females, generally, prefer males that are respectful without being subservient, and who have a streak of easygoing independence. Other males tend to rate their fellows on sociability, group bonding, and participation: in short, those who are good company, team players, and who are “one of the boys”.

Being rarely encountered within a fairly sparse population, the Hwimik have a limited amount of cultural space for transgender individuals and none at all for non-binary. While fairly egalitarian in their divisions of labor, males and females are expected to behave very differently within a societal context. One born biologically male, in particular, has very few sanctioned avenues for behaving in a manner expected from females, much less identifying as one; the female pecking order would react with ire at the intrusion, while male social circles would consider it an act of self-exclusion. A biological female, by contrast, may through public self-identification as a male be generally accepted as one, though this must be accompanied by behavior; such a male will lose all female status and no marriage to another male will be recognized. While around females, his facial markings must also be hidden, lest they provoke aggressive displays; often a light-colored cosmetic is used for this purpose.

Like most xtauh cultures, Hwimat courtship centers around the giving of gifts by a male suitor to the female. Their nomadic lifestyle puts constraints on the physical size and weight of gifts. While food and drink, being consumables, are relatively easily taken care of, more permanent gifts must be in all cases portable; some leeway may be given here for useful objects like tools or weapons, but purely decorative items must be small and lightweight enough to carry without inconvenience. Jewelry and cosmetics are popular choices, as they can be displayed simply by being worn, but small sculptures and totems are also known. A less physical gift that Hwimat females will also value - if the male is any good at it - is music or poetry, especially if it is composed for the receiving female in particular.

Rejection of the gift is rare, and indicates either a very poor choice of gift or a complete and utter dislike for the suitor. However, more often, the female will accept it without reference to how interested she is in the suitor; it is understood among the Hwimik that acceptance of the gift is not acceptance of the giver. It is considered good manners among the Hwimik, therefore, for the female to tell her suitor what kind of impression he is having on her and whether he has a chance with her. For a female to give outright praise in this context implies that she considers her suitor a rare find indeed; a more common, and more tempered, positive response involves humorously backhanded praise and suggestions for improvement. Genuine displeasure tends to be expressed more tersely.

While a female, if particularly interested in a specific male, may attempt to subtly encourage him, overtly pursuing him will lower her social standing; by convention the formal opening of the courtship is initiated by the male. Courtship tends not to be leisurely, as the group with which each participant is traveling may part ways shortly and not meet again for some time thereafter; during each crossing of paths, therefore, the male will engage in a flurry of courtship-related activity while he has the chance to be close to the female. Some courtships are concluded before parting, but it is quite common for them to be suspended and then resumed at the next meeting; the female will often use this as time to think over her suitor.

A courtship is successfully concluded when the female invites the male to join her and travel with her. If he agrees, then, though a formal ceremony is rarely involved, they are essentially married.

Like all xtauh, the Hwimik tend toward cooperative polyandry; one female may have several male mates, but not the other way around. Like most xtauh, the Hwimik also tend not to view marriage as a prerequisite, as such, for sex; provided two Hwimik are unmarried and of age, they are considered more or less available. While it is considered extremely bad form for a husband in one marriage to be caught with the wife from another, for a wife to seek unmarried partners for temporary liaisons is not remarkable, and similar behavior from husbands is, at most, only mildly disapproved of. This is particularly true when families gather at oases during the day, when a permissive atmosphere tends to reign.

Hwimat marriage, therefore, as the endpoint of the courtship process, has only an indirect relationship to fidelity, as it is mostly a commitment to mutual support, living arrangements, and child-rearing. Regardless of biological paternity - which is never a matter of record in any case - the fathers of a child are its mother's husbands, and it is part of their duty to raise any children she produces. A far more serious matter than extramarital sex, which is usually no more than an annoyance to one's significant other, is to actually depart a marriage, since for the Hwimik this is synonymous both with ceasing to physically live with the family and with losing any association with the children of the marriage; a husband that ceases to be a husband also ceases to be a father.

Hwimat families are female-dominated, in that the wife and mother is the ultimate arbiter of a family's affairs, but in practice her husbands will generally have loose rein; the very survival of the family depends on everyone knowing, without being told, what to do to keep them all alive. While the female is generally involved in any task involving defending the family or its range, or requiring brute strength, and the males are much involved in the care of their children, all of them are required to share in the family's activities to a greater or lesser extent, and the result is relatively egalitarian.

While some xtauh females will take different husbands for different roles in their lives, the Hwimik do not have the luxury of indulging in this practice; their lifestyle obliges them to be generalists, in their relationships as in daily existence. Good husbands - or, for that matter, wives - may be better at one thing than another, but are expected not to (nor be required to) play only to their strengths, and must take turns within the family structure, whether it be feeding children, hunting, or fulfilling the needs of one's partner.