Basically, this link gives the full details and this sytem and the link is from a new game currently in free open beta with no more character wipes that is basically what people literally label "what diablo 3 should have been" and with very, very good reason, the game is called Path of Exile and this is the awesome trading system - http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/55102
All i can say is read that page from top to bottom, and there, problem solved.
Instead though of the items being "orbs" they could be "scrolls" that magically enhance/enchant/modify your gear and/or more, with the oldest and most powerful scrolls being the elder scrolls that nations war over............... Etc As in im not saying blatantly copy and paste and infringe on their idea, but that it is definitely very good grounds to work off and from that example could easily be tied in to ES lore.
What do you guys think of that system?