Hardship through Time
Some historical periods focus families, lineages, and particular men in such a way that they feel like gauntlets of tests. Wars, famines, disease, and other natural disasters can all act in this way, forcing those of a land through an unwitting test during the course of time. Some are quick and resolve in a few weeks. In these, maybe a small area is affected and some portion of them shuffle off, but the wider land is relatively untouched. Others are wide-reaching and cut deep.