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You sit at the alterer's. You hope. You wonder. You pray. And then... you get lucky. The spinner stops on you-- you've just been chosen! But Sukara's doing speed alters... and that means you have less than two minutes to give her your alteration design and have it approved before you're out of luck and she's picking someone else. And you were waiting and watching and wondering and biting your fingernails and you don't have a design ready.
You've finally reached the end of a year of Four Winds membership. You ponder your alteration scroll at great length before finally filling it out and sending it off to the merchant. It comes back rejected. You change a few things, and send it out again... and it comes back rejected a second time. And a third. And a fourth.... Finally, you manage to come up with something the merchant agrees is acceptable. It's a pity you hate the design, because now it's yours.
A different alterer's. You get picked-- and he makes the item you want, the very one! Within the week, you realize how clunky and awkward your phrasing was, and six-inch-long veil iron spikes don't suit your appearance after all, and your "favorite cloak forever" gathers dust in your locker until you sell it off to get a new broadsword.
Your wedding is coming up, and you send in your item designs-- the style's a bit monotonous, but you want to match on your wedding, so everything is white lace trimmed with pearls. It's classic and beautiful, and who cares if it doesn't go at all with your normal wardrobe, and who cares if you'll likely never wear it again? You want to look your best on your wedding day, and this is it... right?
All you wanted at the alterer's was to make something for sale-- that faenor waraxe was just itching to be yours-- so you walked in with the best design you could think of, and you hoped. As it turned out, the alterer did the whole room, and you walked proudly out with your "three million silver backpack". It finally sold for three hundred thousand, and you still don't understand why.
You used your premium alteration to make a truly beautiful gown for the love of your life. She thanked you... very politely... and then put it in her locker and never took it out again. You pushed the matter once, asking her to please wear it to the upcoming Solhaven Spring dance, and she agreed... but "forgot". You finally realized she loved you but hated the gown. Really hated it. Lots.
The specifics of alterations and situations have been changed to protect the unlucky, but I heard every one of these stories from someone else.
Whether it's your first alteration or your fiftieth, the chance to create an item is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the Lands in a way unlike any other. Something that you created will be a permanent fixture in Elanthia... hopefully. I've heard Legendary Lords and Ladies express the desire to buy certain items for the purpose of throwing them in the well and removing the eyesore from Elanthia. It's leaving your mark on Elanthia, in a way, but probably not the way you wanted.
Altering an item or designing an item is never something you should regret afterwards.
Tanager's Guide to Item Design will help you out if you've worried that you may experience your own alteration nightmare-- or even if you just want some tips and advice for the future. (Or, at the least, it will once I finish it.)
Designs and Commissions discusses my terms for accepting commissions for item designs. A list of items (altered or built from scratch) that I've designed for myself and for others both in GemStone III and DragonRealms can also be found here.
The Item Design Hall of Fame lists items I've seen in GemStone III and DragonRealms that made me catch my breath when I saw them-- the ones I don't own but secretly wish I did.
The Item Design Hall of Shame lists items I've seen in GemStone III and DragonRealms that made me wince when I saw them-- ones I'd secretly like to throw into the well myself. Some of these items are not altered, but were built by GameMasters as auction items or standard items for sale. Almost all of these items violate one rule or another of the alteration guidelines, and I explain why those items are included in this list. The names of the owners when I observed them are not included.
Tattoos of Elanthia is precisely what it sounds like-- a list of altered tattoos. I haven't made any kind of value judgement here; I'm just listing all the ones I see.
Dressed To Impress gives a brief "snapshot" of various people that I've seen while walking down the street in everyday life who made me doubletake and who made me think, "That person has really given thought to how they dress and present themselves." Coherency and logic of inventory are important. These pages do not (hopefully) include anyone dressed up for an event of any kind, but simply people walking down the street in their everyday apparel.
Lady Brownyng's Wedding Pages are not part of this website. However, they include the most detailed guides to proper inventory arrangement and wedding gown design that I have ever seen, and Lady Brownyng's suggestions have vastly affected my choice in clothing and accessories. I advise anyone interested in item design as well as anyone interested in weddings to read through these pages.
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