Throughout the course of battle, challenges are issued, accepted, met, and denied.

"He who issues noble challenges, is not in the wrong for what distruction may follow. It is just and good that such battle may strengthen the hearts of our people."
--Ranhala

Look upon challenges as noble invitations into the lock of combat. It is glorious to accept and meet challenges no matter how trivial, insignificant, or futile the task may present itself.

True, while in combat the challenger is your foe, but need not always be your enemy.
Simply because it is your task to slay your foe, means not that there need be hate in your heart.
It is all in the quest for stoutness of heart and greatness of honor that challenges are issued.

Issuing Challenges
A challenge is issued in response to many varrying situations; much too many to mention here. However, they may also be issued as a motion to begin action.
This is common opposing action and should be interpreted as aggression and perhaps as a test of an opponent's skill.

This is not necessarily an act that identifies them as a definate enemy. This may merely be used as an attempt to assess the ability of a stranger that perhaps may seem opposing, especially if the intentions of the opponent are questionable.

Challenges may also be issued between familiars as an effort to distinguish authority. These rarely end in death, but merely pit the characters against eachother in a test of stregth/ability.

Responding to Challenges
There are several responses that may be offered to direct or indirect challenges.
The most noble in most cases is to accept the challenge.
This is an agreement to come against/fight/oppose/compete with the challenger(s) in the chosen field of combat.

Challenges may also be denied.
Denying a challenge is an insulting gesture toward both parties. The issuer of the challenge is gravely insulted by the denial. This puts the denier in danger of bodily harm. There is nothing worse in a time of chivalry than injured pride.
He who denies a challenge has jeopardized his honor, his birth right, and all that he has gained in fame. Challenges are to be accepted for honor's sake. True warriors accept challenges regaredless of the stakes and at any cost.

To consider a challenge met, the opposition must succesfully be put down or defeated. Meeting challenges is what builds one's fame and increases one's power and prestige among the characters of the sect.