Design: Firestorm Shells [6, 6, 3]
Arstotzkans will soon have a taste of their own medicine.
Firstorm Shells are aptly named. It's perhaps the most deadly anti-infantry weapon we've ever developed, surpassing even the Hammer in it's abilities to slaughter Arstotzkans. The shell is a clay pot wrapped with oiled rags and stuffed with what our men refer to as "Alnnar Almuqaddasa" - Holy Fire. It's a vile, toxic, putrid concoction that burns for a long, long time with intense heat. It's got a horribly pungent odor, its smoke is noxious, it sticks to whatever it touches, and our men have taken to mixing small quantities of it in with their arak for an extra "kick". As an added surprise, it even burns when wet. Flamming Alnnar must be submerged for a very, very long time before the flame snuffs out, otherwise it will reignite once it comes back in contact with air.
The best part is it's relatively cheap to make. It requires the constant care and attention of a certified Researcher Priest and takes half a year before it reaches maturity, but it can be produced in entire batches. As a safety measure, the workshop built to manage production of Alnnar is established well outside of the city in a relatively unoccupied section of desert and strict fire-rules are put into place.
The only problem - and it is a big problem - is the structural integrity of clay pots. Our ballista works by suddenly accelerating its ammunition, and clay pots don't like sudden acceleration. One in every four times the ballista fires the clay pot will shatter on the bowstring and spill its contents all over the siege weapon and its crew. With no way to put it out, the only thing bystanders can do is watch as the weapon and men are burnt to ash.
Despite being a terribly powerful weapon, our ballista crews absolutely refuse to use it until this issue is fixed. Normal Cost.