The player roleplaying in his char could be one late night shopping for certain items. Upon adding them into the cart and purchasing them, the NPC item shop vendor could start a certain quest line (maybe different by pre defined items), with a silly comment like: “it could make XXXXX NPC name proud”. If the player catches the answer it could trigger more chat from the item vendor:
Certain NPC could be named in the answers, about a secret society that exists in the shadows of the realm, where item guardians challenge each other for parts of a item, that if completed and weared, allows them to access past a gate in a (maybe already made) map where a small town with specific item vendors “where they get their stuff plus some others only for higher ranked true item monks”, and the temple of that NPC mentioned earlier. Then ending with a ‘where the item Master will put all adventurers to The Trials. Lol I pity them, it cost me this finger’.
But when the player visits the map, there is only the gate and ruins.
Because that map instance should be inaccessible unless the player gets the item gear parts, fabricate it and wears it, granting entrance.
In the ruins should be a first location (maybe procedurally) as a “location engraving” showing a structure in a certain part of the World Map, but not told were it is, and instructions on how activating it by collecting certain items, which could be a PvP combat against AI or another near level player, both with text of greeting and challenge, in nice scenery. Only the challenger activating the ring should collect the items. For PvP combat, it could be a Team Name that could be challenged to duel insta-teleported inside a circle or ring “of hopes sacrifice”, because the loser will lose a item piece which will have to re-collect.
The rest of the “rings of lost hope” should be dispersed around the whole world map, even past player level (reachable with a party, or running),activated with the instructions, where the duels will take place. Lots of sightseeing.
Upon compounding the wearable item the adventurer could reach the Hidden Society Town of Item Collectors, where the NPC has missions of 1 on 1 combat against other members (real chars or AI, using char skills) to gain treasure maps, where would be instanced battles (that could aggro surrounding mobs) which drops are the items that the Secret Society collects. And by Secret Society this means the player.
Some of those items could be really silly (untradeable) hats that allow access to grinding maps with better drops, having certain debuff status like slow or buff like haste, hidden quests, or item NPC “secret” offers. There should be a list at the hidden town of all the already members. Or not.