Firelock Cannon

The firelock cannon is a recently created weapon that uses powdered Black Steel and a lit piece of rope to launch a small metal pellet out of a long, cylindrical steel tube. It takes roughly the same amount of time to load and fire as a traditional crossbow, but does more damage to the target thanks to the pellet turning to shrapnel. This does, however, come at the cost of accuracy.
It has mainly been implemented in the noble guard of the Kalastradi houses, but its a bit more of a novelty at present. Still, there is a certain social pressure among the houses to use them, as there is the belief that they are the "weapons of the future".