Editing Ryza (section)

==Overview and Early History==

Ryza is most well known for being the sole producer of the [[Leman Russ Executioner]], a variant of the classic Russ tank equipped with a powerful plasma destroyer cannon. Though the weapon's raw power is undeniable and it's a popular choice for tank-busting, [[FAIL|it's also prone to explosive failures due to some genius having placed the feed lines for the coolant system on the outside of the turret]]. Ryza also developed the [[Stormblade]], a variant of the Titan-killing [[Shadowsword]] equipped with a plasma blastgun instead of the Shadowsword's volcano cannon. This was done out of necessity, since there was high demand in the Imperial forces for super-heavy tanks and the toasters on Mars refused to share the STC for the Shadowsword. Ryza's leaders worked out that they could take the Shadowsword's chassis and stick a plasma weapon in it; though this meant sacrificing some of the Shadowsword's raw killiness, it also came with several advantages, including decreased power consumption and increased ease of maintenance compared to the temperamental volcano cannon. Ryza shared the Stormblade and its specifications quite readily, meaning that the [[Solar Auxilia]] and the Legiones Astartes were able to field large numbers of the tank during the Horus Heresy, and it remains a popular choice in the 41st Millennium for Imperial Guard regiments who can't get their hands on a Shadowsword.

The planet's skitarii legions wear a distinctive shade of orange that mimics the planet's endless rust-dunes, with red lining on the interior. Red is also used as a mark of seniority in the local hierarchy; the more red a Ryzan wears, the higher their rank. Ryza's skitarii are famed for their aggression and skill in melee combat, which the planet's tech-priests explain as the result of specialized training and combat protocols. Some in the Imperium regard this tendency [[Khorne|as a bit suspicious]].

Ryza was settled during the Dark Age of Technology. Originally a lush world, it became the heart of a powerful technological empire aligned with the Cult Mechanicus, and its rich, diverse biosphere was slowly wiped out, replaced by endless forges, manufactorums, and reclamation plants. Outside these areas of industry, the planet's two continents were reduced to arid plains and endless dunes of rusting metal. Its sea was boiled away by the endless demands of industry, replaced by a toxic soup of sewage and industrial runoff known as the Sea of Reclamation. When humanity's first stellar civilization collapsed, faith in the Omnissiah sustained the world and its people through the dark centuries of the Age of Strife. They were even able to maintain communication with nearby star systems, allowing them to remain a force to be reckoned with. The planet was peacefully incorporated into the Imperium during the [[Great Crusade]], though some of the Mechanicum bigwigs on [[Mars]] were concerned that Ryza's strength might one day lead to its overtaking the Red Planet as the Mechanicum's chief world. They probably had good reason to be afraid, since Ryza had two major advantages that allowed the planet to have its shit together in a way that was rare for human worlds in the aftermath of the birth of Slaanesh and the War Against the Men of Iron. First was its Titan Legion, known as ''Legio Crucius'', or the Warmongers. The Warmongers by themselves were nearly as powerful as the three original Titan Legions of Mars combined, and with the might of a Forge World behind them, they were a credible threat to anyone who might piss Ryza off. Indeed, during the Great Crusade, the Warmongers claimed so many worlds that they ultimately had no fewer than two dozen forge outposts under their command, each garrisoned by a Titan battlegroup. The second advantage was the local Ryzan cult, the ''Omnissiah Igvita''. This cult believed that plasma was the lifeblood of the Omnissiah and that using it bestowed a measure of His power upon them. Thus, Ryza's Titans, war machines, and skitarii all tended to use [[Plasma#Imperial Plasma Weaponry|plasma weaponry in its many forms]]. Though Ryza tried to make nice by sharing some of its advances in plasma technology, significant elements of the Mechanicum remained suspicious of the planet. This would prove to have severe repercussions for Ryza when [[Horus Heresy|the Warmaster's Big Bitch Fit got rolling]].