When asked about how the Duel Tech works on a scientific level, Jinzo Yagiri always said "They don't play by our rules, so we gotta play by theirs." Whatever that means. It's been so long now, and Dueling is so ingrained in Diamond City's culture, that nobody has stopped to ask in a very long time.
Violent Shadows
Not all shadows that inhabit the undercity are hostile, but many are. They seem to have a hierarchy. Stronger shadows retain their vaguely humanoid forms constantly. We call these shadows "Theurges." Theurges are very rare, and are found along much weaker shadows called "Wards." The Wards spend less time in a substantial form, and many Duelists have been known to see them materializing from the amorphous darkness that is always present in the undercity. The wards, when they are encountered, use a strange ore to summon creatures and cast foul magic. We call the mineral they use to manipulate the darkness "Duelite," and it is also what powers the Duel Tech.
Duel Tech
Duel Tech is a blanket term for any technology used in the process of Dueling. Duel Tech uses a proprietary technology to process Duelite and project quasi-real creatures and card effects. They also project a forcefield around the Duelist to protect them from the shadows and other duel tech's card effects. These shields have improved over time, and so has the offensive capability of these machines. The shield strength has become built in to the card game, manifesting as a life counter that ticks down to zero. Of course, only another Duelist will stop attacking you if your shield breaks. This is one reason why Duelists do not enter into combat without other Duelists to back them up.
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