Lozak looks both quizzical and fascinated when Pan suggests that the dolls could be the missing children themselves.  He pauses his study of the paint to reach forward and pick up one of the strange little dolls and study it.  

"Well that's a disturbing thought."  He says flatly.  "And here I was wondering if they were using magic paint to do weird things with dolls.  The truth is often so much worse though, hmm?"  

Ash stares at the empty, beat up room for a few seconds before closing the door and proceeding to the next one down. "Nothing noteworthy there!" He says as he does so. He glances into Nekane's room before throwing the next door open. "Those dolls are a bit disturbing."

Nekane glances upward where Pan's voice had come from, "What a terrible assumption, but you don't seem too bothered by it." He raises an eyebrow as the giggling travels across the ceiling. Shaking his head, he says, "I don't have the ability to remove curses... what about you Ash?" Either way, he doesn't really think that the dolls are the kids... it just seems too obvious." 

After a moment, he moves on to the next door, "I'll let you lot search around in there if you wish. I'm going to scout ahead."  

The next two doors that are opened reveal more empty, dilapidated storage rooms with the scuff marks and banged up walls.  

"Hmm," Nekane says as he investigates the next rooms. "Looks like there is nothing of interest in here. Shall we move on? Or is there something else you would like to do with those dolls? Perhaps we should go back and head through one of the... doors that we didn't burn down?" 

"Of course!" Ash replies to Nekane's inquiry about his ability to remove curses. "But first, I must see if there is a curse to remove!" Spinning on his heel, he walks over to the puppet room and casts Detect Magic.

Pan still invisibly crawling around on the ceiling, scuttles off down the corridor and using his 10ft pole tries the handle of one of the doors.

As Nekane and Ashtar talk, and Ashtar looks at the puppets through the mask of detect magic, he sees nothing but regular puppets and paints.

But as Pan wiggles the door of the next South closet, it bursts open and a heavyset woman wearing an apron with a rolling pin sticking out of it, storms out of the closet.  "You all are making such racket!!  Quiet down or I'll have to make you!"  She grabs the rolling pin out of the front pocket of her apron, shakes it around over her head, then walks back into the small storage closet and slams the door behind her.

Violet looks at the door the woman disappeared into curiously...

"Hey... I wonder if she knows where the missing children are..." the beholderkin says to the others in a whisper so that the woman doesn't hear her. "Maybe we can persuade her to tell us what's really going on around here..."

"Maybe," Nekane says to Violet. "Want to chase her down?"

Without waiting for a response, he heads over to the storage closet and opens the door. Something seems off about that woman--considering she didn't think twice about the fact that they are all snooping around in the 'employees only' area--not to mention the lingering smoke from the burning door. 

"Hey ma'am he says," swinging the door open (unless it's locked lol). "Sorry about the racket, we seem to have lost something... or rather multiple somethings. You wouldn't happen to be willing to help us out now would you?" 

Pan knocks on the door again.

"Help you?!  Help you??  When you won't let me sleep!"  And the woman goes to attack.

Roll initiative and I'll get a map up.

Lozak hears the woman's protestations at being bothered and makes an attempt, mostly successful, of wiggling about in the hall amongst his friends until he looks into the closet with her.  

"Eeegads!"  He says, raising one hand to twinkle his fingers in the air at her.  "You're supposed to sell the cookies, not eat them all yourself you heffer!  A curse upon you, she devil, for such a transgression!  Hooo ZAH!"  

He makes sure to give this the appropriate level of flourish, which is a lot, before skittering back to the safety of the north leading hall.  He strums Axe as he peaks around the corner at Nekane.  

"Here's a little song about the butcher-baker-nightmare maker..."  He says as the tune gets going.  "Let the Axe guide you!"  

From his current position, Ash ponders his next move. He can't really shove past his comrades to get at this large, crazy lady, but he still might be able to stop her. "I COMMAND THEE TO HALT!" He says in an even louder voice than normal.

She must succeed a Wis save of 15 or

 As his second action he uses Divine Sense.

The woman stares at Lozak, his words slowly registering on her, but she just glares back as bane takes hold.

Without even seeing Ashtar, the words of his command wash over her and she stands stock still.

Pan still hidden on the ceiling wiggles his way along the corridor, utilising his halfing nimbleness to move unhindered, he positions himself above the woman and swipes down with his rapier.

(17 to hit, 22 piercing damage. 18 to hit, 7 piercing damage).

He then looks into the closet having planned to position himself on the other side of the woman and flank her, he is surprised to find that there is no room at all and instead retreats to his previous position, making use of his fancy footwork to not provoke and attacks as he leaves her vicinity. He then secures his hood making sure he remains hidden from his vantage point on the ceiling.

(Bonus action hide)

Nekane flashes a devilish grin, covering up the fact that he is actually quite irritated with this woman. "We're trying to find some kids for crying out loud! Don't you care about what happened to them?" His grin widens as Lozak's words, "Lets beat this cow into submission." He lifts his hands as if preparing to direct an orchestra, and thorny vines shoot up from the ground in front of him. The wicked looking plants stretch out towards their prey, and threaten to drag her forward if she doesn't manage to dodge them. 

To hit: 15

If that isn't enough to hit: Bardic Inspiration 8

Damage: 8

Seeing the baker-lady getting wrecked on every side and standing there looking woozy, Violet really doesn't want to straight-up kill her...but she does want to end this fight ASAP.

She casts mind sliver, dealing 7 psychic damage to the lady if she fails a DC 17 INT save. If she fails, she must also subtract 1d4 from her next saving throw (a saving throw that Violet is about to force her to make...).

Violet also burns 2 sorcery points to Quicken a hypnotic pattern right on top of the lady (carefully positioned to avoid hitting herself or her companions. The baker must make a DC 17 Wis save or be charmed, have her speed reduced to 0, and be incapacitated as long as Violet holds concentration on her spell.

If it works, Violet quickly speaks to the others.

"Quick! She's helpless now... someone tie her up before she causes any more trouble!"

With the onslaught of attacks on the baker, she is looking pretty bad.  But now under Violet's charm, she stands there, swaying a bit with drool running down her chin.

"Good work Violet!" Nekane says, releasing the vine spell and reaching back to grab some rope from his pack. "Now then, let's get her tied up."

He proceeds to bind the woman unless someone does something else to prevent him from doing so.