The search turns up nothing really useful except for a vial of colorless liquid.  Shem wants to burn all the other doll pieces but Nathaniel says no.  Must be some sort of weird puppet thing!  The search does turn up a diary written by Giseppe that explains quite a lot.  Eliad is attempting to heal all the friends and discovers the cause of their paralysis – small pins stuck in their skin.  Upon removing these pins, feeling returns in the limbs in a matter of moments.

In the morning, when Hennet wakes, the party heads outside towards the theatre.  Once there, the party sees that a play is being performed for the town’s children.  Sir Ardwen and the Wyrm.  Being a puppet, Nathaniel sneaks in and sets up position inside the theatre.  The rest of the party goes in through the back door, which Shem has unlocked.  Hiding until the play ends, the party waits to attack.  There are approximately twelve puppets on stage and Figlio leading the performance.

As the play ends, the children are led out of the theatre and Shem rushes to the attack.  Tumbling through the curtain, he leaps out and slices Figlio!  “Attack!” yells Figlio as more puppets appear from the seats.  This fight was not as tough as the previous one as Figlio must still be wounded.  Hennet and Shem set up for flanking and begin to smash Figlio down.  Raina stays back and fires off Magic Missiles.  Pinocchio, I mean Nathaniel the puppet provides a distraction and lures away many of the puppets as they try to kill him.  Eliad sets the curtain on fire to try to scare off the remaining puppets on stage!

Two critical hits by Shem and a mighty sword slice by Hennet finally drop Figlio!  As he drops, the lanterns on the walls begin to sprout flame and spit ash and embers onto the ground.  The entire theatre is soon up in flames!  The party runs out of there.  First Shem, then Hennet grabs Nathaniel up and takes off.  Eliad and Raina go out back.  The smoke and flames shoot into the air in a thick column that soon has the entire block suffocating in thick, black smoke.

Hennet realizes that the doll he is holding, Nathaniel, is limp and lifeless (kind of like Nathaniel for real!).  Adults from across the community are seen again as they open doors and windows to investigate the cause of the thick black smoke.

The party returns to the workshop to discover it gone!  Nathaniel, the human, is there covered in sticky buns and whip cream (kind of like Nathaniel for real!).  The stars on the Starborn’s abdomens have also changed.  There are now only four stars there with the fifth star moving somewhere else on the person’s body.
 

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