Projectors

An uncommon yet infamous type of energy weapon, converting electricity and mana into tightly-focused beams of coherent light that are as deadly as they are visually striking. They are almost exclusively manufactured by the hands of the Savoi Nations, and despite their membership in the North-West Bloc have remained a technology exclusive to the islands' defenders.
Unlike sabot rounds and crossbow bolts, its beams strike their target instantaneously. Given a fraction of a second on target, a powerful projector can blast through one side of a Landship and out the other, with little regard for anything in between. With the flick of a switch and a long pull of the trigger, the same weapon could slash through a forest, bisecting trees, vines, and waves of infantry alike. Unlike a Mages' sorcery, a projector beam can be difficult to spot, especially in good weather conditions.
Unlike sorcery, a projector's beam requires a clear line-of-sight, and unlike a howitzer is incapable of indirect fire. A projector's potential is reduced by distance, lens imperfections, and inclement weather such as dense fog. Even the most powerful projectors have to be focused correctly for the range it is fired at, else the beam dispersion will merely leave the target(s) scarred and in one piece instead of two. The lightest projectors are barely man-portable, and can only be fired a few times before needing resupply. Power sources for such weapons are volatile, and their bulky cooling systems are equally heavy.
Regardless of their drawbacks, these unique weapons are coveted by foreigners, ally and enemy alike, and the Savoi know this. While these weapons are widespread in their military, they have surprisingly managed to keep others from successfully reverse-engineering light-based weaponry. Considering their pagan worship of the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars, such a weapon being unique to their people is amusingly appropriate.

Utility

Primarily used as a form of weaponry. Theoretically could be used as a form of high-speed, long-distance communication, but this is only in theory. There aren't many advantages light beams would have over copper anyways.

Manufacturing

Specialized mana crystals, colloquially called "light jars," are synthesized(?) and combined with various lenses and reflectors to create the light pump and focusing equipment that actually fire the beam. These are powered by capacitors absurdly efficient for their size, whose operating principles are also a tightly kept secret among their creators. Bulky radiators, fans, and cooling fins add additional size and mass to such systems, and as with Cavorite chambers are a significant obstacle to the further development of projector technology.

Inventor(s)

Undisclosed. It appears the Savoi' ancestors have buried their secrets so well that even they do not know, in a rare but well-deserved fit of paranoia.

Complexity

Requires a power source even more powerful than that needed for Cavorite and equally robust cooling systems. All of this is highly maintenance-intensive, and every meaningful detail of the process is kept close to the chests of their Savoi creators.

Discovery

Unknown. Records of searing beams of unnatural origin date back centuries, but the Savoi Nations have remained tight-lipped on the subject. It is suspected that the Bysian Realms also have the understanding necessary to recreate such weaponry, but such examples have never been seen among their arsenal.