Ardgate Arsenal

Ardgate Arsenal
Basic Information
Type	State arsenal
Founded	AY 31
Nation	United Domains of Krossen
Leadership
HQ	Drozhenya
Details
Purpose	Development and production of standardized weaponry for the Krossen military

Ardgate Arsenal is a state arsenal under the direct command of the Assembly Command of the United Domains of Krossen, situated in the domain of Drozhenya. Though nominally associated with the Assembly Army, it develops and produces weaponry for use by both the Royal Army and the Assembly Army.

Overview

Ardgate Arsenal specializes in mass production and the standardized development of frontline weaponry. Its location in Drozhenya reflects industrial rather than cultural considerations: the domain's established mining and steel industries, together with its skilled technical labor force, provide the practical foundation for the arsenal's operations.

History

In the early years following the founding of Krossen, weapons production was consolidated under a single body, Krossen Arsenal, which performed a role comparable to that of the present-day Ardion Armoury — largely ceremonial in nature. Frontline weaponry was instead supplied individually by local smithies, resulting in inconsistent quality and a lack of standardization.

During the reign of Arvolik Krossen, the third head of state, the importance of a dedicated arsenal was raised in a state council held around August of AY 27. Following a period of increased investment and the recruitment of skilled smiths, the arsenal was formally divided into two bodies in September of AY 31: Ardion Armoury inherited the original ceremonial function, while Ardgate Arsenal assumed the role of a genuine frontline arsenal.

Ardgate initially operated under the Quartermaster Corps. In May of AY 37, it was elevated to independent status outside that command. It was further elevated in January of AY 55, placed directly under the Assembly Command, its present affiliation.

Over the course of its history, Ardgate's role expanded from basic weapons manufacture to encompass systematic standardization and quality control, and then to the development of standardized mass-production weaponry. In time, most of the standardized weapon patterns used throughout the Krossen military came to originate from Ardgate. It was on this foundation that the arsenal began undertaking specialized weapons projects — Black Mamba among them.

Designation System

Weapons developed by Ardgate are identified by a designation of the form [Category Code]-[Serial] Mark [N] Lot [N]. The Mark number denotes a design generation, incremented whenever a structural revision occurs; the Lot number denotes a production batch, incremented with each additional run of an unrevised design. Because Ardgate's own capacity cannot meet total demand, production is at times contracted out to certified contracted workshops — the Lot number allows a given batch to be traced to its producer. For example, the prototype unit of Black Mamba carries the designation S-1 Mark I Lot 1.

Relations

Ardgate maintains a close relationship with Kosmi, the special judicial body of Krossen, through which new weapons and tactics undergo field testing.

Ardgate is frequently contrasted with Ardion Armoury, the arsenal of the Royal Army. The two differ markedly in orientation and scale — Ardgate pursues mass production and standardization, while Ardion pursues ceremonial and small-batch custom work — but this reflects a difference in direction rather than a difference in skill. Ardion has itself produced custom specialized weapons to meet the requirements of special operations units.