Barbarians

Spoiler Toggle: (Toggle the switch to activate or deactivate the hidden elements.)

Barbarians(바바리안) are one of the six races living in Rafdonia.

Barbarians are a conservative race that values tradition, but they slowly made progress in their customs under certain past chieftains (using honorifics and showing courtesy to the king).

Barbarians are seen generally misperceived as a stupid people. Barbarians are a simple, honest and in a sense, pure people who prefer plain matters.

Barbarians are generally trustworthy people but their general lack of numeracy ability, general education and simple outlook makes people underestimate them ( most can’t read or write, get jobs outside dungeon exploration; and get bad deals when shopping). Barbarians are mostly just taught how to fight and their traditions so they are naive about the world at large. Bjorn noticed the barbarian way of life is more enjoyable and fun and understands their preference for direct matters.

Barbarians, like Carson, have applied and used their experiences to make sound decisions after getting good advice (showing they are intelligent) . For example, Carson, after hearing about dealing with untrustworthy companions, realized by himself to seek out human companions, pretend to sleep and wait for them to show their true colors before killing them. And then he proceeded to teach young explorers about it. This made it immensely more difficult to hunt young barbarians and surprised Bjorn since they all sounded prepared.

Barbarians have also shown embarrassment at being paid to act extremely barbaric ( eating food with bones and are hands) so they obviously have limits which others don’t see due to culture differences. Though they did see Bjorn who did these things as being able to do so because he is a strong warrior!

Barbarians can say embarrassingly sentimental things towards others, and difficult statements without a change in expression or difficulty as a honest people. Though it’s unlikely to hear that as they enjoy combat and hate being seen as soft or delicate ( even the women). Aynar, for example, felt insulted when people called her pretty.

Like the other tribes, they acknowledge the existence of evil spirits and send their corpses to the Great Temple. In the past, erasing essences at the temple was forbidden.^[1]

About 99% of the members of the tribe make a living by exploring the labyrinth resulting in a high death rate among warriors.^[2]

The tribal chieftain has overwhelming authority regarding the tribe.^[3]

The shaman is an important member of the barbarian tribe as they are extremely intelligent, apply the spirit imprints, tattoos and have some mystical abilities e.g. fortune reading (thought they say it cryptically).

The most sacred vow of barbarians is the warrior’s oath . The vow is valued above a barbarian’s life and death. Thus, all races know that, unlike others, when a barbarian promises something on that oath they truly mean it and will always abide by it. All barbarians unanimously would rather die than break it, making barbarians like Ainar hesitant to swear by it. No barbarian has been known to break it ( except Bjorn who never reveals his deceit and makes sure the witness is dead, with the except of Missha when he deceived her father).

Aynar was only marginally affected by entering a hallucination rift ( she said it was a bit unpleasant); and Bjorn hypothesized that due to Barbarians being a mentally strong race, they are probably very resistant to hallucination effects. This is because Barbarians learn to overcome by fighting rather than running.

HISTORY[]

The War of Sacred Relics is the name given to the war with the fairies ten years ago, a tragedy that started when a barbarian picked up a holy relic belonging to the fairy tribe in the labyrinth by coincidence. The fairies arrested and interrogated the barbarian who possessed the relic, and the barbarian stubbornly resisted and died. The war lasted for over a year before the royal family interceded. The former chieftain died in that battle.

The War of Sacred Relics was the biggest cause of the weakening of barbarian authority. Countless warriors who were supposed to lead the next generation died.

Around the same time, the magic tower announced that the barbarian heart was valuable as a magical material.^[4]

Behellah (barbarian ancestral god)
Balkan (legendary hero)

HOLY LAND[]

The holy land is a kind of community childcare facility. Barbarians who leave for the city send their children here. Because they have to be warriors until the day they die, they don't have the capacity to raise children. And once those barbarians leave for the city as adults, the cycle is repeated.^[5]

The barbarian sanctuary is closer to a campsite. Tents are pitched anywhere, without distinction between someone land and somebody else's land.^[6]

There is a overgrown, weedy road instead of paved ones leading to the residential section of the holy land (an ensemble of huts built without any standard whatsoever).^[7]

CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS[]

Childbirth[]

Contrary to human society where getting married and having children is the correct procedure, it doesn't exist in barbarian society. The child is raised by the holy land and the woman considers giving birth to a child a matter of great pride. Not only that, there are also practical benefits. It is small compared to humans, but the palace gives them two years of tax relief. Each person is different, but it takes an average of four months to give birth and the recovery time is also very fast. It is perhaps the reason why barbarian women are so tolerant of childbirth. Childbirth isn't just a noble process: pride or not, it can only lead to a low birth rate if the economic aspects are not resolved.^[8]

Naming Method[]

If the child is a son, he uses the father’s name as his surname and if it is a daughter, she uses the mother’s name. As such, there are no family names in the tribe and all barbarians treats each other like family.^[9]

Barbarians' Duty[]

Only barbarians can give birth to barbarians, humans can't. Mixed races are possible but in the end a human child will be born.^[10]

Usually, Barbarians prefer their own people: their attractiveness standards of the opposite sex are different from the other races. However, the more they live in the city, and the longer they form teams with explorers other than fellow countrymen from the holy land, the more their values gradually begin to change. This change is called urbanization by the chieftain.^[11]

In spite of that, even those people wants to have children with other barbarians. It is a racial vocation imprinted in the soul known as the barbarian's duty.^[12]

Funeral Rite[]

The shaman smears blood on the face of the dead barbarian resting against a tree and ring a bell. Then, a solution is sprayed all around to prevent insects from eating the corpse. The warriors in front of the corpse cut off their hair or slit their hands and sprinkle blood around the dead barbarian. ^[13]

The corpse left in the forest will rot and become white bones. When that time comes, the shaman’s hand will break even the bones into small pieces and scatter them in the forest as the last procedure of the funeral.^[14]

RACIAL ABILITIES[]

Soul Succession[]

Soul Succession is both a barbarians' tradition and a racial ability. It operates as a rite of passage between warriors.

Warriors have to undertake a training for six months called “forging” , the process of training them to build a physique. In Dungeon & Stone, when forging was finished , physique stats increased significantly and the character were eligible to receive a soul succession but it wasn't mandatory.^[15]

Soul Succession, along with the soul imprint, is one of the unique incantations available only to the barbarians. Through this ritual, a barbarian can pass on one of their essences to future generations.

However, a warrior can only receive it once, and those predecessors lose their lives.^[16]

Spirit Imprint[]

Spirit Imprint is a kind of strengthening technique. Its principle is that it bestows the body with a special ability by infusing the “spirit” present in the magical ingredient into the body. It is also the reason why all barbarians are covered in tattoos. Barbarians have to be tattooed as an infant while they have a relatively clean soul so that the circuit of the soul can be seen into adulthood.^[17]