Dorgrum was born in the Five Kings Mountains, into a long line of miners and sculptors of underground builders in clan Stonebreaker. He studied the techniques of building-carving with his uncle, but from a young age his strength and endurance were evident and it wasn't long before technical training was a distant second in priority to laboring where his 'real gifts' were- in the mines. He spent several years mining during the day and hunting with his cousins in the evenings and on days off, and was mostly satisfied with that life.
That all changed several months ago when a cave-in trapped him and two of his coworkers down a newly dug shaft without the right tools to dig themselves out. In a rather desperate act, Dorgrum transformed himself into a small badger and scurried through a narrow passage in the rubble to go and get help. There were a number of members of his mother's family who were 'beastblooded' (as they called it, though he was told the sages call them "beastkin") and none too happy that he'd revealed the family secret, but many of his coworkers were delighted to see him walking around with his badger face on, or transforming completely to scurry off and hide somewhere.
Once he truly embraces who he was, he even made friends with an actual badger who began following him around wherever he went. Eventually some of his friends began to question why he would still work the mines when he had such an incredible ability. One of the older miners, a former adventurer, told them all about the Pathfinder Lodge, and the fortune and glory that could be found there. His friends convinced him that between his strength and ability he be guaranteed to be accepted, so he sold off nearly everything he owned to buy a sturdy breastplate and a backpack full of adventuring gear and set off for the Grand Lodge in Absalom.
When the time came for his meeting to apply as a Pathfinder, the interviewer asked, "why should we allow you to join?" After a bewildered look, he transformed his dwarven head into that of a badger and smiled. The interviewer waited patiently for some real answer and then (less patiently) repeated the question in dwarven. This time he answered, with some frustration, "I can transform, see?!?" and then changed fully into a small badger. "I see," the interviewer said flatly jotting a note in their parchment, "well, I'm just going to have you wait out in the waiting room with some other applicants and someone will see you with more details when we're finished. He was thoroughly pleased with himself from that moment right up until the Garundi woman in the trim and officious outfit delivered the bad news...
