Short blade

Short blades were short, curved bladed weapons that traded power and reach for a faster swing rate.

High Middle Ages
The short blade first became available after Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad had reached the third rank. Like the sword, his skill with the short blade increased as he climbed up the ranks.

The first short blade he obtained had a wooden handle, though he received an all metal variation at a later rank. In both instances, he carried the short blade across his back with the handle facing down.

In battle, he wielded the short blade with an icepick grip, and often used it in conjunction with throwing knives.

15th Century
In a similar fashion to Altaïr, Ezio Auditore was equipped with both a long and short blade, though they were sheathed together at his side. He could purchase various types of short blades from Blacksmiths, each with unique speed, damage and deflection properties.

In battle, he would wield the short blade much as Altaïr did, though he did not learn to use it alongside throwing knives until he became a Master Assassin.

Several of his allies, such as thieves and courtesans, also used short blades in battle. Certain guards and assassination targets, such as agiles and Rodrigo Borgia, made use of short blades as well. However, none of these held their weapons in an icepick grip.

Combat
The short blade was much faster than the longsword, making it ideal for dispatching large numbers of low-ranked enemies. However, as an enemy's rank increased, the short blade's effectiveness diminished due to the higher quality armor used by them.

For Altaïr, the special, close-ranged attack of most short blades could only be performed from behind, and took the form of slitting an enemy's throat, or stabbing them in the shoulder or the back, which would always result in an instant kill.

When used with the short blade, Altaïr could throw a single throwing knife mid-combat. Similarly, Ezio could dual-wield the short blade with throwing knives, and could throw multiple throwing knives at once.

Trivia

 * In Assassin's Creed, Altaïr is the only person to use a short blade other than Malik & his brother until Malik loses his arm and when his brother dies. All other NPCs use long blades.
 * The last-tier short blade Altaïr uses resembles the Sultan's Knife, meaning that it was the most powerful weapon during the Third Crusade. However, in Ezio's time, the most powerful short blade is the Notched Cinquedea.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, once all throwing knives have been used up, the special attack of the short blade is switched to that of the fists, in which Ezio throws sand to momentarily incapacitate his target.
 * In the Blacksmith stores in Brotherhood, the Notched Cinquedea has the store image of the Channeled Cinquedea, and vice versa.
 * Unlike in Assassin's Creed II, in Brotherhood, the Channeled Cinquedea is a weapon that cannot be purchased, and can only be taken from a guard.
 * Only very few hold the short blade with an icepick grip. These include Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Tamir, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Francesco de' Pazzi, Bernardo Baroncelli, and Claudia Auditore da Firenze.
 * A Notched Cinquedea can be seen stuck in the table in Ezio's office in Monteriggioni.
 * In every Assassin's Creed game to feature the short blade as a usable weapon, there is a counter-kill that Altaïr and Ezio use where the blade is not used at all. It involves that them kicking an enemy in the stomach and, as the guard doubles over in pain, then hooking their free arm around their head and snapping their neck. The guard then drops to the ground, dead.

Gallery
thumb|left|300px|Guide for the short blade.