Gyre and Gimble
| Two quick blades joined by a chain. Swinging one compels the wielder to swing the other, as if they have minds of their own. |
the +7 quick blades "Gyre" and "Gimble"
+7 quick blade
Protection brand
Each swing attacks twice
Always two-handed (Except for formicids)
Desirability
Gyre and Gimble is an unusual weapon - thematically two separate weapons, they are treated in game as a single two-handed weapon that just happens to get twice as many attacks as a normal quick blade would. As quick blades already attack extraordinarily fast anyway, this amounts to an absurd number of hits before the enemy can react to you. At mindelay (requires a paltry 8 Short Blades skill), you'll essentially be getting in an attack every 1.5 auts. When hasted, this goes up to an attack every aut. In short, you'll be attacking very quickly, which also makes it easy to keep the protection brand active even if you take a turn here and there to cast a spell or reposition. Keep in mind protection only works after you've landed a hit, so you'll be vulnerable while you're closing to melee range.
However, the actual effectiveness of these attacks depends on two things: your slaying bonuses and the enemy's AC. A quick blade doesn't deal very much damage per hit unless it has a set damage brand, like distortion, electrocution, or pain; a protection brand, while helping increase the survivability of characters with lower AC, doesn't actually do anything to increase your damage output. Gyre and Gimble's rapid-fire weak attacks don't matter for low-AC opponents, as you'll simply spread the damage out over several hits, but you'll barely be able to scratch high-AC opponents. Enough slaying bonuses, liberal use of potions of might, and easy access to berserking will overcome this issue, allowing Gyre and Gimble to be effective against armoured foes and absolutely devastating against the unarmoured. Good luck finding those slaying sources, however.
Alternatively, if you happen to have a reliable, infinite source of invisibility (or enemy blindness), Gyre and Gimble function as a phenomenally deadly source of stabbing damage. When invisi-stabbing your way through a pack of enemies that can't see invisible, you'll be delivering lethal blows at terrifying speed, regardless of AC. Confusing enemies also works (Confusing Touch being helpful against anything able to resist other methods of applying it and synergizing well with a high attack speed), though it's more helpful if you're fighting a single, strong enemy than when wading through a horde. However, these methods work adequately with any other type of short blade -- Gyre and Gimble's main advantage is simply their exceptional attack speed.
Whether or not it's worth sacrificing use of your off-hand is up to you, but a well-branded, fully-enchanted quick blade and buckler of resistance may be the smarter choice in some cases. Formicids, of course, don't have to worry about losing their shield slot.
Trivia
Gyre and Gimble is a reference to the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carrol.
