So in brief, after all that, here's what we did.

In scene one, Cupix (riding in a carriage on a road heading away from the nearest coastal town and up into the mountainous countryside) comes upon another carriage, this one marked with the livery that suggested a beehive. It's broken down in the middle of the narrow road, and can't be got round. Cupix recognizes the livery, orders his driver to help the other carriage get repaired, grabs a picnic basket from the carriage, and meanders up to the woman seated to the side of the road on a stone. This is Chiella.

The two make small talk and Cupix attempts to suss her out on her family and current interests and what's-going-on-with-yous, alternating between smarmy, charming, and a bit stalker-creepy. Chiella is pleased that he has honey in his basket, disappointed that he did not pick it out himself. They're just talking, and no dice roll. The players (and the GM) are still getting used (after a lot of Sot C?) to not rolling for stuff like "Do I notice that she..." etc. We adapt.

Again, they're chatting and so on, when up rolls another carriage, a bit behind Cupix's. Cupix recognizes the livery of the driver and the toad-like fellow seated next to him -- it is, against all odds and much befitting fickle gods -- the livery of his creator, the wizard Kuriguzal.

We move to Ursula, or rather Samson (as portrayed by james marsters, i think) who is demanding somewhat angrily that she explain WHY she can't come with him to a remote romantic island. Ursula is done with Samson -- she's basically got what she can out of him and is ready to move on. He very much is not. She finally chills the air with her words to the point where he slumps and moves off. She turns back to her cottage, which we see is up in the mountains and very near a large flowered meadow.

There is a rush of pounding feet and Samson scoops her up over his shoulders in a kind of fireman carry, shouting as she struggles and kicks that she'll forgive him when she sees how wonderful the island he's picked out really IS.

We roll dice. Samson is rolling Action. Ursula is rolling, I think Covertly (for sweet talking) and for Myself, I think.

The first round goes to Ursula. She calmly murmurs into Samson's ear that she won't be persuaded if they don't talk like civilized people. He sets her down. (her dice stand, his are picked up). She promptly turns around and walks right back into the cottage and starts closing the door. I re-roll, and can't beat her, but I'm not doubled. He interposes a hand and stops the door from closing.

Ursula is not being faced with a superior opponent (which is my own damn fault), so no We Owe entry.

Round two. Ursula has an advantage dice. We roll, she doubles Samson right off. She says a couple harsh words that I can't recall and, behind the door, she slashes at his hand with fingers turned to claws. He howls and withdraws his hand, she slams the door.

No negotiation; he's just injured... and I give up on that and he walks away.

Cupix turns to Chiella and explains that he'd like to get out of view of that carriage, because he's had hot words with the fellow inside before. Chiella doesn't really want to talk to other man either -- she recognizes the livery as that of a wizard clan, and wants no dealings with the male-magicians. They work to get into Cupix's carriage without either of them being rescued.

I roll for the wizard (in this case, his "igor" up on the driver's bench), and they both roll. Chielle is bringing BIG dice with Covertly and For Others (and should have had her Appian Way magic dice also, but we didn't get it in). Cupix is just barely in the running to get on the We Owe list if it comes up at the end of round one.

The dice hit the table. Chiella's dice - a 12 and a 2 - stand. Cupix and the Wizard pick up. The wizard is next, but he won't get a turn, cuz he has to answer Chiella's action. Chiella still has the honey jar in her hand from before. She smears a bit on her and Cupix's forehead and induce a glamour that confuses the eyes of the toad-igor-man.

I roll my response and get owned. Chiella doubles me -- game over. They get into the carriage easy-peasy and will be able to get on down the road before anyone's the wiser.

We negotiate a bit. Chiella wants the wizard to lose trust in his igor-servant. I don't see exactly how to do that immediately, and explain how future-repercussions are a no-no, but we figure it out to everyone's satisfaction.

Narration is that the carriages pull away, and the Toad, who has gotten down, comes round to the carriage and informs m'lord that they can move on... and he mentions the oddest thing, that the woman and man in the carriage ahead of there's looked, just at first, like the woman with the Appian Magic that the wizard was seeking, and the man had looked like Cupix... but when he'd looked again, he could see that they weren't them at all. It's funny the tricks that your eyes can *choke choke choke gasp* as the wizard grabs the flunky by the collar and throws him to the ground, ordering him to get after those carriages. Simple-minded fool. Smack.

There was one final scene, but there were no dice involved. The end result of it was that:

• (a) Samson, whose horse ran off, waved down Chiella's carriage for a ride, which Chiella gladly allowed -- noble son and all that.
• (b) Cupix, watching from the carriage behind, realized that Chiella was in her carriage and had in fact never gotten into his -- leaving him with some kind of simulacrum, I think.
• (c) Ursula, heading into the lowlands to find a new lover, sees Samson on the road, listens in, rolling her eyes, and slips down along the road. She spots the wizard's carriage pulling up, and the wizard getting out, and asks him for a lift, all sultry and subtle. Realizing she knows something of the people in the other carriages (who are pulling away again) -- one of them, anyway -- he agrees, and they both get into his carriage.

So all carriages are trundling along, heading for Chiella's ancestral home in a nearby valley, and I'm half-tempted to jump right to everyone sitting around a large table for dinner.