Metalica

Metalica, known as "The Gleaming Giant of Ultima Segmentum," is an Imperial Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus that is located in the Segmentum Ultima of the Milky Way Galaxy. Metalica is situated in one of the most dangerous parts of the galaxy, near the Ork Empire of Charadon. They live in a constant state of readiness as they are always threatened by war. The planet is home to the Legio Metalica, a Loyalist Titan Legion, that is also known as the "Iron Skulls," one of the oldest and most esteemed Titan Legions within the Collegia Titanica.

History
Metalica, a forge world nestled deep in the Ultima Segmentum, is formed almost entirely of metal. No rocky crust covers the dull silver of its surface. No flora or fauna makes its home there. Other than the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are no biological life forms upon Metalica whatsoever. Even the atmosphere is inimical to life. It was not always this way, but the Tech-Priests are by nature jealous of their treasures, and have had their Skitarii drive to extinction all other species so their quest for enlightenment can continue at peak efficiency. So it is that Metalica is a world of hissing pistons, glowing forges and strata upon strata of industrial waste. Yet it is far from barren, for the engine-driven monstrosities that growl out of its furnace complexes are born by the hundred with every new dawn. The sheer auditory barrage that rings from its gunmetal mountains is deafening yet oddly inspiring, especially for the Skitarii that are inducted there. The hyper-pollution of theplanet and its proximity to the Ork empire of Charadon have prepared its legions well for the defence of Armageddon. Alongside their Imperial Knight allies from the nearby world of Kolossi, Metalica’s Skitarii cohorts fought at the forefront of both the Second and Third Armageddon wars.

The Titan Legions
The Titans that serve the Adeptus Mechanicus are the most powerful ground-based war engines in the Imperium. Giant walking fortresses with firepower enough to level cities, the largest of these god-machines carry great cathedrals to the Omnissiah's glory upon their broad shoulders. Though few in number, the Titan Legions have conquered myriad foes, both within the Omnissiah's domain and without. Almost all forge worlds have Titan Legions that defend them, and Metalica is no exception. The Iron Skulls, formally known as the Legio Metalica, is amongst the most vaunted of its kind. Its glorious history stretches back to pre-Imperial times, and its Titans have been part of Mankind's destiny ever since. Tragically, the Legio was all but destroyed during the Third War for Armageddon. Princeps Kurtiz Mannheim, realising his allies would soon be overrun, led the Legio Metalica and its Skitarii escort against a wave of Ork Titan-class threats and six million Ork infantry. After slaying an Ork Gargant in a gruelling duel, Mannheim ordered his badly wounded Titan Steel Hammer to self-destruct, his sacrifice killing another two Gargants and burning out the heart out of the Ork offensive in the process.

Metalica Iconography
Though Metalica's legions are fiercely independent from the cloying touch of Mars, the hammer and fist icon of Metalica is depicted in deep red in honour of their Martian forefathers.

Metalica Forge World Colours
Like other Forge Worlds, Metalica maintains its own Skitarii forces to protect it's interests, annihilating the enemies of the Tech-Priests, and fighting at the vanguard of the Quest for Knowledge. Unusually, the heraldry of Metalica's Skitarii is dictated by their battlefield role. Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers wear metallic armour plates and white robes with red linings. Sicarians usually wear white battle plate, forgoing red altogether. All of Metalica's Skitarii bear gunmetal prostheses and cybernetic enhancements made from the very same substance that covers the planet's surface. Its Alphas and Princeps wear metal mined from the peaks of the planet's titanium mountains. The vehicles of Metalica's War Cohorts are arrayed in the bone white of their forge world's heraldry, though it is never long before they bear the marks of fire and destruction.