With the acknowledgement that this sounds like a massive whine, I think it should be easier to attain Windfall Markings, and I believe that the best way to do this would be to make it a year-round crafting opportunity.

Anyone who has played the Harbinger's Quest has probably experienced the frustration with Novel 2, in which every participating player tries to get 15 Underbrush, 10 Lion Skulls, and 15 Large Rocks. Even if you were smart enough to get these prior to September, you've likely seen the prices for these items on Branches or in the Trading Center jump to astronomical levels or witnessed other users worrying that they won't even unlock the Harbinger's Shop before the month ends because of this specific quest.

So how does the Harbinger's Quest play into Windfall Markings? Windfall Markings has far more item requirements than any other November crafting item. 50x Carnelian, 50x Fire Opal, 50x Nuummite, 10x Phantom Quartz, and (last but certainly not least) 100x Underbrush. By comparison, your gem base changers only require 50 of their specific gem.

Well, if you stockpile your things all year, surely you'll have enough, right?

Seems unlikely. Especially given that Underbrush will have jumped prices and been nearly wiped out thanks to the Harbinger.

My suggestion: make Windfall Markings a year-round crafting opportunity. Allow people to collect 100x Underbrush without having to prep 4+ months in advance.

Obviously there are a few concerns. Windfall Base and Mane are only available in November (and aren't craftable), so Windfall Markings might seem out of place with the other year-round craftings. In order to keep Windfall Markings linked to the November event, I suggest that Phantom Quartz only drops during November. This would be similar to Locust Wings in September. Many different crafting options use Locust Wings (Eye Applicator: Arid, Gregarious Form, Gregarious Mark, Gregarious Phase, Gregarious Swarm, Mark of the Swarm, Shape of Swarm, Blue Winged Grasshopper Outfit, 4 different Locust Earrings, the One of Four Locust Wings decor recipe, and the Locust Wings Decor - Pendant). Those can all function, despite their primary (and in most cases only) component only dropping one time a year. By comparison, Windfall Markings is the only thing Phantom Quartz is used for. If Locust Wings and its assorted decor and applicators can do it, there's no reason it can't be done for Phantom Quartz and Windfall Markings.

Thank you for your consideration, and feel free to raise your own concerns in the comments! This was born primarily out of frustration and it is very plausible that I overlooked something.