The common Gorean shortsword, designed to be used in conjunction with the round battle shield so often favored by Gorean warriors, is described as a leaf-shaped, double-edged blade with a short singlehanded grip. The grip is typically either of polished ka-la-na or temwood, either unadorned or wrapped in leather, cloth or cord. The blade of this weapon is approximately twenty inches in length, and it is worn either in a belt scabbard on the left hip or alternately in the same scabbard, slung over the left shoulder for travel. In later books this weapon is described as a "gladius," which implies that rather than a typical crossguard assembly it sports a simple sculpted or disk-shaped hilt, without lengthy quillions, and either a plain disk-shaped or knobbed pommel. It is also mentioned by Tarl Cabot that this weapon is ideal for the kind of swift, close-up infighting which is so near and dear to the hearts of the Gorean male. Typically honed to razor sharpness, the owner can even achieve a keen enough edge that when a piece of silk is dropped upon the blade, the fabric will part effortlessly. The best example of such blades come from the smithies of Ar and Ko-ro-ba. During the tempering process such blades are commonly quenched in wine, though it is not unknown for the red-hot metal to be quenched by driving it through the body of a male slave. Such shortswords are heavily employed in the city states that have a standing army, since one of its primary uses is for it to be wielded by a standing formation of men in matched ranks, shield in one hand and sword in the other. Unlike the traditional Roman gladius, however, this small weapon is often used singly, without the benefit of a shield, and the Goreans seem to have developed a system for attack and defense with it which is not unlike that of traditional fencing. This weapon first appears in Book #1, Tarnsmen of Gor, and appears regularly throughout the series thereafter.