As Chambers was formal, Corn will use some Mysterium terms, which I will have hover-over tips to explain as Reuben kindly explained how to do.
Corn smiled warmly and greeted Aurora with a wave before making a formal introduction to Chambers , including all the right formal gestures.
"Daduchos Corn, Savant of the Mysterium, focusing my studies on the Exoterics of Geology, chemistry and to a degree, metallurgy, combining it with esotology, namely superstitions.
I am also at the completion of the Arche, but that is all that is required to be a dadouchos so I use the title myself. "
Then Chambers says some words the Corn's brain refuses to accept, at first. As the other moros reaches the unguarded safehouse, the words sink in. Corn becomes pale.
Shit, shit, shit!!!
The realization of the loss comes in waves. Corn goes through the stages of grief, apparently, starting with denial.
"Wait, wait... the grubs? the grimoire?" Campanela left us those along with his best wishes for the order. "The cursed items? " People bled for them. "the Pickaxe from when we sent McNally's ghost to the underworld?" I have bled for that!
And of course the one he didn't even want to consider... but he had to. The enormity of the loss has the usually calm and cheerful mage flexing and unflexing his hands, biting his lips.
"Roxie's Choker?! An artifact that could peel the veil from the eyes of a sleeper granting her the ability to witness our world beyond the Lie without provoking disbelief, effectively turning her to a sleepwalker with a kiss on top of holding major mana reserves and giving the ability to speak and interact with ghosts? An artifact more powerful than anything we have seen in a century?! "
Unable to constrain himself properly Corn walks up and down, whipping his head from side to side as he tries to bring himself back to control.
Corn has some minor mental issues that very rarely manifest once he hit adolescence. This is one of those rare times.
As a note, in the past, the ST told us to roll intelligence + Occult -3 to know the legends about Roxie's Choker. I have linked one of the posts that say what we found out. You may roll if you want, but with the artifact gone I am not sure it matters.
He takes a deep breath and turns to Aurora. "Acquisitor, you fought for Roxie's Choker too against that madman from the Sancta Trinitas. The acquisition of this artifact was perhaps our crowning achievement. Do you know if Belle or Zero took it with them when they left? Zero knew that I have hid it in a secret compartment under the safe. It is reasonable to think that our censor simply took it to a different city when Sacramento's Alae Draconis population was diminishing. Yes, that makes sense. Roxie's chocker may not be in our hands but it is safe somewhere else. "
Apparently, Corn is now at the bargaining state of grief - and for all everyone knows he may be correct.
The rest of what Chambers says after that passes mostly unnoticed by him. Corn plops himself back to the chair, rubbing his temples. Most of what we have accomplished since rebuilding the order, gone.
It was a hard pill to swallow even if everything was safe - elsewhere. And that was an if. As Chambers explains his futile attempts, Corn shakes his head.
"I have tried to do the same, either alone or with Crystal, and in most cases found nothing except once that I found a fortune teller with some bona-fide powers. On the other hand, Zero had some luck. " That Corn said just a few soulless words about these, instead of an excitable lengthy exposition should hint everyone that he is, at the time, a defeated man.