The events in The Honorable Barbarian take place in a world that resembles Earth but is different in important ways. This world is called by its inhabitants the "Primary Plane." There are many other planes of existence, including the one that is Earth as we readers know it. In the Primary Plane, the populations of the world are spread out in a familiar pattern, with European-like peoples in the west, Polynesian-like peoples in the southeast, and a Chinese-like people in the east. Many of these people's customs are similar to those of the real-life peoples, but the customs are shaped by the reality of magic. In the Primary Plane, magic is as commonplace as air and water.

When Kerin begins his journey to the east, he routinely sees a magician who casts protective spells on him. Later, these spells ward off magical attacks.

Thus, the people of the...