Villages huddle int he frozen wastes of Vorostokov. Nomads wander the burning sands of the Amber Wastes. Tiny homesteads struggle to beat back the cyclopean forests of Verbrek. Life for the people of these communities is a daily struggle against unforgiving terrain. Their clans need hunters, warriors, and protectors, and the most powerful of these is the barbarian. Lone barbarians can also be found in other lands, where they live as solitary hermits or mountain men and avoid the noise of civilization. Among the monstrous races, barbarians are believed to be relatively common among lycanthropes and the larger goblinoids.

Barbarians respect physical prowess above all else; they eschew practiced combat techniques and "dirty tricks" of the fighter, seeking to win their battles through sheer force. Any education a barbarian receives likely comes from folktales heard at an elder's knee, so most barbarians are intensely superstitious. The Voros of Vorostokov, for example, believe that written words inherently contain evil magic.

The folk of more "enlightened" cultures view barbarians as uncouth at best, drunken berserkers at worst. Tales are whispered of unsuspecting travelers who fell afoul of inbred barbarian clans, who could sell the pelts of anything they could catch. Barbarians usually adventure to test their might, to gain power, or to protect their lands and family.