Getting in Touch With Yourself

Our freakish heroes were embroiled in combat, seeking revenge against their maker, Gondolfino, and his evil clown minions, with hopes that somehow they could return to their own bodies before their minds became too weak. One clown had fallen, but another still fought, while the third was strapped to the table of Gondolfino's infernal device, hideously transformed into a travesty of a woman. Gondolfino himself had disappeared, but Phil seemed to be able to sense his presence with his snake's senses, although he didn't seem to be capable of hitting him.

Jerry, shrunk to only 6" tall, clambered to what he hoped was a safe spot on the ceiling, and tried to fire a burst of Magic Missiles at the remaining clown, but the spell inexplicably fizzled. Ice and Joe also concentrated their attention on Flatto. Ice scored a good hit with his sword, while Joe coiled around him and began to squeeze, and Flatto went limp in his embrace.

Meanwhile Gondolfino was desperately trying to escape. He flung quick disorienting spells (Color Spray and Hypnotic Pattern) at the party, but no one was affected. Chuck tossed a bag of flour in the general direction of whatever Phil was aiming at (causing some concern among party members who were familiar with the effects of combining airborne flour dust with open flames). As the cloud began to settle, a human outline could be seen where Phil was still unsuccessfully striking. Seeing a target, Jerry let fly another barrage of Magic Missiles. These worked as normal, and the figure slumped to the ground.

When no more enemies appeared, the party began to take stock of the room. The control panel where Gondolfino had been working was like something out of a Frankenstein movie - a confusing array of dials, switches, gauges, and meters. Luckily, there was the requisite giant-sized double-pole knife switch in the center of the console. Without waiting to investigate or experiment, Phil went downstairs and retrieved his original body, strapped it to the table where the clown had been, and placed himself on the empty table. He instructed the others to attach the metal caps to both of himselves, and told Chuck to throw the switch. Chuck did so, ignoring the fact that Gonfolfino had had a pair of tinted goggles around his neck, and was immediately blinded by the impressive electrical display that erupted from the spires. Both of Phil's bodies began to convulse uncontrollably. When the current was finally removed, both continued to twitch for a bit, then lay still. Were they both dead? The snake-head body certainly was, but some checking revealed a faint pulse in Phil's original body.

Convinced that the procedure must have been a success (despite the fact that Phil still lay comatose on the floor), others began to haul up their bodies from downstairs to queue up for transfer. Mary James did their best imitation of Larry and Curly trying to carry an unconscious Moe up a flight of stairs and through multiple doors, but ultimately both of them were back in separate bodies. After about half the party was transferred and lying unconscious on the ground, the rest decided it might be prudent not to have the entire party incapacitated just in case something unexpected happened, like oh, say, Lord Strahd showing up to claim the bodies. After a half hour or so, the converted party members began to revive, and after an hour they were mobile enough that the rest of the team felt comfortable continuing with the procedure.

Ultimately, the entire party were back in their own bodies. As they regained consciousness, they struggled to find and put on their clothing. They were weak and a bit disoriented, but recovered much faster than after the first transfer. Their hair was badly scorched, and what was left of it was standing straight out in all directions. The Gatestone pointed directly at the strange spire that pierced the castle, so they knew they were in the right place to lock down this ley line and move on to the next universe. They debated the trade-offs of leaving immediately, and dropping into who-knows-where in their depleted state, or spending the night in the castle with the risk of being attacked. They opted to recover.

That just left the question of what to do with little Jane. She'd been left hiding under Gondoflino's desk downstairs. The party debated their options:

• They could return her to Vallaki. Except they had no idea where Vallaki was from here or how to get there.  And they'd still have to return here to use the Gatestone.
• They could leave Jane with the remainder of Gondolfino's circus, who they could see camped a few hundred yards away outside. After all, surely the only evil people in the circus were the ones they'd already killed, right? Once the party explained that they'd killed their boss (i.e. cut off their paycheck) and his clowns (possibly the only thing keeping them in line), they'd be welcomed as liberators, right? And carnies are well-known for being trustworthy and good with children.
• They could take Jane with them, and try to find a home for her in the next universe. After all, it had to be a better place than this. Didn't it?

Various party members were in favor of each of the options. Ultimately, Mary asked Jane what she wanted, and she made it clear she didn't want to be left with the circus people. Since 10-year olds always know what's best for them, they agreed to take her with them. They gathered around the spire and watched as the base of the Gatestone covered it completely. They felt the facet of the Gatestone grow warm and pulse, and then felt themselves being stretched impossibly thin ...