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ChallengesThere are about two hundred sites in New Dunston which produce essence. As factions get more of these, they are able to provide more ambrosia to their members, and as they lose control of essence sites, their members have to make do with less.By law, the only way an essence site can be transferred from one faction to another is through the challenges. Every other week, except during the two week governmental recess, representatives from the factions gather to conduct a series of contests; in practice, these meetings are where much of the public business of the city is transacted. There are two rounds of challenges, held on alternating sessions. In the first round, traditionally held in the second week of each month, each faction is permitted to challenge a single other faction to a duel, with the winner's faction receiving a single site of ambrosia from the loser's. Of course, many factions may choose to challenge the same one. In the second round, the factions are randomly paired, and must duel the faction matched to them. Again, the winner's faction receives a single site of ambrosia from the loser. Factions are also permitted to exchange sites on a one for one basis to prevent a faction's essence sites from drifting too far from their base of operations. There are sixteen recognized means by which a dual may be conducted. They are arranged in a grid, and one faction chooses the row while the other simultaneously chooses the column. The intersection is the method which will be used. In the first round of duels, the challenger always chooses the row, while in the second, which faction chooses the row is decided at random. The grid is given below, followed by explanations.
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