instead of downing an item at your cabal, there are places in Thera, maybe 6 or so, where you can down an item which 'hinders' access to the powers. Getting it back means destroying (killing) the construct holding the item. anyone can kill the construct to get it and the item cannot be picked back up until the construct is destroyed. only one construct can hold an item at a time. Finding your item means going to the various constructs and examining them to see what is being held - the cabal inner can only discern that the item was downed at a construct, not which.
Additionally, as a benefit, holding a cabal's items in your cabal HQ means a portion of that item's power can be siphoned off as a skill/power/spell to your cabal.