Riza

Riza
Details
Race	Human
Birthplace	Abzan territory, Tarkir
Lifetime	Original timeline of Tarkir
Children	Unnamed children
Sources

Riza was an Abzan Captain in Tarkir's original timeline. It is unknown if he exists in Tarkir's new timeline.

History

Riza kept an amicable relationship with his soldiers as they marched upon the Salt Road. But when they discovered that one of the shepherds' summer camps had been ravaged and burned to the ground by Mardu with not a single survivor, the mood turned somber. They followed the Mardu horde, who had twice their number. They were the law on the Salt Road, and if they did not hunt down the murderers, more innocents would die. However, as Riza told his band, if they charged openly against the horde, they would find themselves outflanked, outnumbered, and completely open to their deadly archery. If they were slaughtered by the horde, no one would protect the shepherds who fed the Sandsteppe Gateway.

Instead, Riza announced that they would fall back to the oasis at Canyon Falls and await the larger Salt Road patrol. After the rendezvous, they would have the strength and support to drive the horde back to their lands.

However, the Abzan patrol soon received news that the horde had turned south to engage them, riding all night. They would be upon them before noon, giving them no time to rendezvous with the larger patrol team. Their only hope would be to hurry to the oasis. The canyon there would nullify the advantage of the Mardu cavalry, giving them a chance to establish a strong defense using the terrain and trees of the oasis. If they could hold the Mardu back, they might be able to outlast them until the reinforcements arrived. The oasis would also give them access to water and shelter, while the Mardu would be fighting from the open desert.

The Abzan made double time to the oasis, and Riza bid Ogan Shieldmender array his men at the mouth of the canyon and form a shield wall. He bid his lieutenants hide their archers among the boulders along the west rim of the canyon to keep the horde away from that side, to protect the men and supplies at the bottom. The rest of the men were to be sent to the north end of the canyon where the spring began to flow to set an ambush in case the Mardu would try to come at them from behind. Riza told his soldiers that when they were on patrol, they were his family. It was that bond that gave them their strength. Riza believed in the capabilities of his unit, and together they would make a defense worthy of their Abzan heritage. The troops shared the interlocking handshake of the Abzan military and quickly busied themselves.

As the Mardu converged on the defended canyon, the tower of an Abzan siege elephant poked through the haze in the distance. The larger patrol was coming.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
The Salt Road	Jeremiah Isgur	2014-11-12	Khans of Tarkir	Tarkir	Riza, Backstabber, Nightrider, Ogan Shieldmender