During your youth your forest home is ravaged by monsters. No friends or loved ones are killed, but it will be centuries before the woodlands are restored to normal.
Your culture is marked by rapid growth, development and expansion. New ideas and technologies are being discovered and exploited. But access to power resides in the hands of a few powerful nobles or warlords your culture is experiencing a golden age.
Destitute: These people are considered the dregs of society. They own no property, and may have no fixed home. Some perform no real work and are often unemployable. Others are in bond to a master and live at his whim.
In adult life you gain a rival who seeks to undo your character, they will attempt to hinder your efforts until they get what they want. (work with your DM to determine details)