Quick Setpiece:
A country best known for long, harsh winters. A string of little villages on the outer rim, who have a strange custom. They hoard. They gather as much of every resource as they can as often as they can. Then, every three years, when the heavy snowfall comes, they bury their houses and hide. Anyone who goes outside is never seen again. Sometimes, when the snow melts, a house will be gone- nothing but ash and worthless rubbish in its place. The elves take everything of value as they migrate through. Or perhaps they stay for the full duration of the strong winter; nobody goes outside to check. The Ice Elves know that this world is cruel, and they are fortunate to have found a place where they are on top.