D&D 5E Help! I Suck at Villains!

[Derren]

Instead of having them abduct only woman or the overused orphans how about them having abducted a freshly married couple. The barbarians saw potential in the husband (and/or wife if gender equality is a thing in your setting) or maybe he/she is distant relatives from one of the founders of their tribe etc. So the barbarians would offer them to join them if he/she is strong enough for being a guardian. That is determined by a series of tests, one requiring a vision quest under a new moon which is still a few weeks away. Until then the couple stays with the barbarians. If the trials are failed both would have been returned to the village but the PCs show up before that.

 

[chunkosauruswrex]

I think the perfect enemy for this is the illithid. The ability of the illlithid to capture and enthrall their foes and the sheer ingenuity, power, and downright creepiness of the race as a whole make a convincing case for the necessity of the barbarians to fight them especially if you make a narrative of how the illithid have secretly destroyed the Gith and now these barbarians are holding back a colony from infiltrating the surface and starting to enslave the population. I find of all the underdark dwellers the illithid are the most credible threat to the surface world due to their intelligence, coordination through an Elder brain, and psychic powers.

 

[Ancalagon]

If you struggle this way, try stealing more often. Movies, books, and published adventures will give you all the stories, motivations and characters you need.

It will be hard to portray these women as willing brides (all) given the circumstances you describe. It may get some raised eyebrows.

The more I think about it, the more I think that the bride angle could derail. Switch it to orphans... same plot effects, less pitfalls

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[Harzel]

I agree with those who have noted the kidnap-victims-become-willing-brides part as problematic. In fact, even though the become-willing-brides aspect is especially unpleasant, I think any presentation of a kidnapper as a sympathetic character is kind of dicey. With enough plot devices, one could certainly make it work, but I think your effort would be better spent elsewise. I would just not go there.

Restrict it to thievery, and I think it will be easier to grant the barbarians some sort of moral absolution due to circumstance. Perhaps the villagers are recently more greatly aggrieved because the thefts have escalated from food to something more unique and dear to the villagers - implements from the small local temple perhaps taken by the barbarians to assuage demands for tribute by the Greater Threat?

Are the PCs going to be starting at 1st level? Just trying to think about what kind of Greater Threat they might be able to handle in the near term.

Anyway, I think you actually have a decent start, and there are a bunch of good ideas already in the thread.