White Worm The Tribe of the White Worm , or simply White Worm , were a barbarian tribe dwelling in northern Vaasa , beside the Great Glacier , and in the Earthspur Mountains around the Glacier of the White Worm , in north Faerûn . They saw the white worm — an albino remorhaz — as their totem beast and were notoriously unwelcoming of strangers . Infamously , they fought for Zhengyi , the Witch - King , but did turn away from his evil . Description . The folk of White Worm were tall and strongly built . Their hair was fair , typically blond . Culture . Viewing all strangers as threats , White Worm were utterly unwelcoming of outsiders , and offered only harm to those who came upon them . If they came upon a traveler , whether in trouble or not , they would give no aid , but instead take them captive , or more likely kill them on the spot . White Worm folk felt a near mystical connection and symbiosis with " Nature " . This was thought to be a product of their hard lives in the harsh wilds , instilling in them a deep respect and understanding of the power of Nature . Thus , they honored the monstrous creature that posed a very real and ever - present threat to their lives and safety : the white worm . This was a variety of pale , albino remorhaz , and was unique to the region . The barbarians worshiped it as their totem beast , even as their patron deity . Some outsiders speculated they worshiped Tempus , Lord of Battles , as well , but this was unconfirmed . The Ulk , the tribal shaman , could call upon the spirit of the white worm and enter a trance , in which they took on the powers of the remorhaz , emanating the terrific heat of the worm ' s back . In a typical ritual , the Ulk would kneel at the center of a ring of the tribe ' s warriors , exuding this fiery heat . The warriors would spend the night in prayer , warmed only by the heat of their shaman and protected from the harsh glacial winds . Sometimes , the Ulk would execute captives via the searing heat of a single hug . The champion of White Worm was the " spirit hunter " . This was the mightiest warrior of the tribe , magically strengthened and hypnotized by the shaman to fight in a terrible battle - rage and fulfil their quest , and equipped with enchanted weapons like the club Bonecrusher and the sacred white - worm - skin armor . The spirit hunter was then sent into the wilds to battle " evil spirits " invading the tribe ' s territory . However , in the spirit hunter ' s altered state , anyone they saw was seen as an evil spirit . This champion was thus doomed to a life of loneliness and constant combat , surviving by their own enhanced strengths , until brought low . Fanatically determined , they would throw themselves at superior foes and numbers , without fear of death . Even when brought to the point of unconsciousness , death , or beyond , the spirit hunter would fight on a few breaths longer . When finally slain , their body transformed into the spirit - like form of a remorhaz , then dissipated on the winds , to be brought back to the tribe . Then they would choose a new spirit hunter , tasked with first hunting down and slaying whoever or whatever had killed the last spirit hunter . Around 1359 DR , the spirit hunter was Hedweck . Organization . White Worm were a large tribe , numbering some three hundred people . The tribe was governed by a chieftain ; this was Hea - Rem in 1359 DR . The chieftain was oft - accompanied by a five - strong bodyguard called the " Kura - winther " , meaning " Worm - Victors " . These were elite warriors , strong and fierce , each of whom had a slain a remorhaz in single combat at least once . However , in practice , the tribe shaman , known as " the Ulk " , wielded greater power than the chieftain . This was a common state of affairs in barbarian tribes . Activities . The tribe was nomadic , though only wandered within the confines of their territory . White Worm made no regular patrols to guard their land , but their hunting bands , which usually roamed about , served much the same purpose . Their first line of defense was the spirit hunter , who attacked anyone who came upon their lands , hoping to eliminate any possible threat to the tribe . Base of Operations . White Worm territory encompassed the frozen steppes of northern Vaasa , stretching the length of the Great Glacier but rarely traveling more than 50 miles ( 80 kilometers ) from its edge . They wandered as nomads through this domain . Some White Worm also dwelled around the Glacier of the White Worm in the Earthspur Mountains , on the other side of the Bloodstone Lands . The holy ground and defensive retreat of White Worm was the Ice Run , a vast network of tunnels and sunken trails within the Great Glacier . Only members of White Worm knew how to traverse this hazardous maze , and they often wandered there . History . The history of the barbarians prior to their coming to the Bloodstone Lands was unknown ; their own traditions told nothing of the time before , and there were no direct connections to any other tribes of Faerûn . Regardless , they were most likely the first human inhabitants of the Bloodstone Lands . They came after the ice of the Great Glacier receded around 1038 DR . Ultimately , they settled in northern and central Vaasa , beneath the Great Glacier and around the Glacier of the White Worm in the Earthspur Mountains , some way to the south . In the mid – 14th century DR , the White Worm tribe fell in with Zhengyi the Witch - King , the lich ruler of Vaasa . White Worm fought in his armies in his war against Damara in the Year of the Spur , 1348 DR . However , toward the end of his reign , as the undead wizard ' s evil nature was revealed , the White Worm tribe lost faith and broke away , turning against the Witch - King and exonerating themselves . Following the defeat of Zhengyi in the Year of the Serpent , 1359 DR , Baron Gareth Dragonsbane of Damara became interested in reaching out to White Worm , preferring to meet them over the table rather than over the field of battle again . In efforts to establish good diplomatic relations , he sent the monk Kane of the Yellow Rose as an emissary , journeying among them via spirit walking . He was the first outsider to treat with them since Zhengyi ' s fall , and impressed them by demonstrating his ability to ride the remorhaz , their white worm totem . Kane hoped to make them allies of Damara , or get them to help adventurers in service to Damara exploring Vaasa , or at least to stop them harassing said adventurers . However , he found them difficult to deal with and their lands remained a dangerous place for visitors . Relationships . Around 1359 DR , Gareth Dragonsbane of Damara worked to establish diplomatic relations with White Worm and make them more hospitable to strangers . However , they remained thoroughly unwelcoming and hostile . The few adventurers who managed to have peaceable dealings with the tribe considered them ferocious but honorable . There was no direct evidence connecting White Worm to any of the other barbarian tribes of Faerûn , but their physical appearance and their culture were close enough to several others to draw links . Scholars studying them , from afar , theorized the White Worm were most likely kin to the tribes of Icewind Dale , whom they closely resembled . Some thought they worshiped Tempus , like the Icewind Dale barbarians , which suggested another link , but this was unproven .