I can see how it is daunting I'd agree to have all your stuff gone. But you can easily do pilgrim/scholar/cow/chicken quests to get your vials replaced, and non-masterwork weapons wouldn't be hard to buy either (which really, a set of non-masterwork rapiers can be forged to be more than adequate.

Lusternia has held my attention way longer than WoW did, I made level 60 in Feburary (it opened in November) and quit in May. I've had no desire to go back. It's the only MMO that I've actually quit and not returned to for a while 2-3 months later.

The difference with the other game is that there you pay per month and your account can stay for 6 months without you paying (you cannot play, but the chars on it aren't deleted). So, if you were to leave for say, 1 month, you coul d very well think "Oh, well, why paying this month if I am not playing?" and unsubscribe for a month, or things like that.
Also, that makes you create more alternate chars (wich we must admit is difficult in Lusternia) for the same exact reason that it attaches you more to your account (You can get the alts to be "rested" and level at double speed").
The bussines model is totally different from IRE, because they value your time instead of small pieces of an alternative currency (aka credits). That's why they gift "subscription days" and Lusternia gifts lesser prices on credits, or just plain credits.

Yeah, same thing happened here, though I stopped playing for a bit after level 40. Right after I had purchased credits. Granted, I had maybe 30k left in the bank, but when my greatrobes, vials, pack, all the stuff decayed, and some people had skills I haven't even heard of? I was debating whether to leave permanently or not. Now, I'm glad I didn't.

Oh yeah. I left during the 1st Gorgog invasion, because I was pissed about the fact that even though at level 40, I couldn't travel down Ackleberry, because I'd get killed in two hits.