Gambol Shroud

Gambol Shroud, classified as a "Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe" (VBCS), is the signature weapon of Blake Belladonna.

Description
Gambol Shroud has a thick, gray sheath with a sharp edge, similar to that of an oversized cleaver. Although serving as a sheath, it does possess a cutting edge and can be used effectively as a weapon. Gambol Shroud, when unsheathed, appears to be a dark gray katana and is equally as effective as, if not more than, its sheath. Blake typically carries this duo on a magnetic sheet of metal strapped to her back.

The essence of the two weapon components is that they fit together as one, but come apart to be two, so that they are compact for easier carrying. When in sheathed form, Gambol Shroud is held by the hilt, but when the two components separate, the sheath is held by a small rectangular hole near the top. The katana also has a compact, striker fired pistol built into its hilt.

The pistol is used as a ranged weapon and its recoil can be used to swing or anchor the blade. Its pistol lets out a large, prominent purple blast when fired. In pistol form, the weapon resembles a kama, with the gun barrel pointed in the opposite direction of the edge. The blade itself seems to be very strong, able to cut through the metal body of an Atlesian Knight-130. However, it seems to be incapable of damaging thicker armors, such as that of the Spider Droid or the skin of a Nevermore. The black segment of the hilt is able to fold over the barrel of the gun as a sort of extension, often seen during the transformation sequence between gun and katana modes, although it is currently unknown if this serves a particular purpose.

The end of the katana's blade appears to have a sharpened double-edge, terminating in a raised spike. The second edge is there to serve as the edge on the inner side of the kama form's blade. The spike and double-edge also allow Blake to have the main edge and pistol barrel facing outward, while maintaining a potentially lethal hold on an enemy.

Gambol Shroud has a ribbon attached to the end of the katana's hilt, which Blake wraps around the trigger in pistol form to freely swing it around when the blade folds down. This form is similar to that of a kusarigama. In this form, her fighting style is somewhat similar to that of Ruby Rose, as both girls use the recoil from the firearm to increase the velocity of the blade component. The ribbon has been shown to be very strong, durable and elastic, being used as a slingshot by Team RWBY to propel Ruby to kill the Nevermore. It can also be used as a grappling hook, which Blake uses to save herself after being accidentally knocked into a crevasse by Nora.

Dust Use
Specialized Dust cartridges can be inserted into Gambol Shroud to modify Blake's Semblance, changing her Shadows into more than just mere afterimages, in a manner not dissimilar to Weiss Schnee's weapon, Myrtenaster. The form her Shadows take on depends on the element of Blake's choosing, significantly increasing her Semblance's tactical applications.
 * Fire Dust (Red) - Changes Blake's Shadow into a fiery clone that explodes violently when it detonates, damaging enemies.
 * Earth Dust - Changes Blake's Shadow into a stone statue, which can be used as cover and defense from attacks.
 * Ice Dust (Dark blue) - Changes Blake's Shadow into an ice sculpture, which with correct timing can trap enemy weapons inside.
 * Violet Dust - Changes Blake's Shadow into a dark haze, lingering longer than her normal clones and blocking people's vision.

Trivia

 * Gambol means "to leap about playfully". A shroud, commonly a cloth, is something that conceals or protects.
 * Gambol Shroud's pistol form resembles a Glock pistol. In fact, the textures for the weapon note it as a Glock 19.
 * The pistol's grip has changed from a block to a more gun like grip between the "Black" Trailer and the series. This may simply be because the weapon's animation assets were not completely detailed at the time of the trailer's release.
 * Monty Oum hinted that the design of Gambol Shroud would be changing in Volume 3.
 * Miles Luna claims that Gambol Shroud is the "sexiest, deadliest weapon", aside from the "gun gun", when asked by a fan at RTX 2014.