"Barbarian's Arena"
by Caraamon Majerye, aged and ignored barbarian

Welcome, many of you might know of me, or perhaps not, but in the end, I hope you can come to enjoy my first, and following as well, installation(s) of the Barbarian's Column. This is a place in which all barbarians will get a chance to let their opinions be read, so if you have some ideas or just want to stretch your freedom of speech send them to RAIST56922@HOTMAIL.COM.

In this premier of the column, I'll be addressing a deceptively simple question: What is a Barbarian and what does it mean to be one? While this may seem like an easy question to answer, being a Barbarian is a great deal more than just simply joining the guild.

To determine part of this question, I asked a great many people, both from our guild and from outside it. There was a large difference in answers between those in the guild and those who were not.

When asked what he thought it meant to be a Barbarian, one former paladin and recent addition to the guild replied with "it means that we are the few chosen to carry the gift the art of battle . . . and that we do not need outside help to hold our ground." A similar sentiment was echoed by another Barbarian, yet with much more eloquent words; "Being a Barbarian is the act of tuning your mind body and spirit into a focused fighting machine . . . perfectly in tune with oneself." One of the elder Barbarians had more fanciful but no less valid reply: it means "to wade knee deep in blood with a chest of gold on one shoulder and a screamin wench on the other." While most opinions within the guild tended to be positive, the other professions had a different view.

As can be expected, those outside the guild were less likely to have good things to say about it, yet the core meaning of them was generally the same. The majority of opinions in the lands, regardless of the guild, are that Barbarians are warriors without much mind. One member of the traders guild said in passing that he thought that being a Barbarian "means being big and strong and throwing your weight around" and that "I have nothing against barbs, just they tend to be less sophisticated at times in [speech] and manners." An empath was a little more blunt; "a strong fighter with little wits" was her response. A cleric I spoke to described a barbarian as ". . . someone who is very good at physical skills to the exception of all else."

How could this wide gap in perceptions come about? One warrior mage I spoke to seemed to have an opinion that might account for some of it. "I think of big guys with even bigger chips on their shoulder, who only spend time to talk to you if they're trying to taunt you into a fight." To paraphrase some of the comments of a rather vocal Warrior Mage, ". . . I feel [a lot] of da younger ones like to pick on da young jus to try to prove something, fer instance da younger come to our guild to wanna spar." and "a 10 level [Barbarian] has greater weapon skill dan most 10th level war mages, so honestly tis nae a fair contest." These words provide an interesting contrast. The words of those I talked to, differ greatly from the actions that are remembered by others.

The common view of some of the people I talked to was that at one point the Barbarian guild was more than just a group of people who fought endlessly and actually believed in a code of honor. This I have seen myself and have (with little success) to show others that we should have honor. One empath expressed her opinion that "barbs actually used to be held up there with paladins in way of honor and such . . ." and then had fallen. "There were honorable barbs when their way of life revolved around fighting - but they treated it like the art they claim it is. Matter of fact, most barbs I've met run around in front of here, screaming about "what a bunch o' pansies" [Warrior Mages] are, because we don't want to spar them all day long." laments one Warrior Mage. While the antagonism between the Barbarians and the Warrior Mages is well known, his words cannot be discounted, and they, at the very least, provide an interesting look into why many this rivalry continues. But the aforementioned Warrior Mage does soften his words; "I also see barbs as wholly misunderstood, though . . . I've met enough of them that seem to believe they're SUPPOSED to act like that."

And it is true, most of the beliefs of the new generation are dependent upon how the older generations teach them. One question by a younger member shows a good indication of what is being passed along: "but isn't the use of weapons the main purpose for a barbarian?"

Whether the current view of the barbarian guild is desired or otherwise, hopefully this article will at least a few people think about the image they portray. Before I begin to sound like one of the drink addled Moon Mages, I shall end with a parting question to all:

"Is it really role-playing to act as others believe you should?"