Istian Goss

Istian Goss was a swordmaster of Ginaz and a follower of the school of Jool Noret, believed to carry the reincarnated spirit of Noret himself. Golden-skinned and copper-haired, he fought through the later campaigns of the Butlerian Jihad and reached the secret final level of Noret's fighting style at the Battle of Corrin.

Origins#

Istian was born and raised on Ginaz, part of the third generation after the tidal wave that killed Jool Noret. Like many Ginaz children, he never knew his parents. As a trainee he was a friend and sparring partner of Nar Trig, and during his graduating ceremony it was determined that he contained the guiding spirit of Jool Noret himself.

The Jihad years#

Istian's first mission, undertaken with Nar Trig, was to assist the rebuilding of Honru, where the two discovered three combat meks sealed in a storage depot; the swordmasters disabled them and Martyrists destroyed the remnants. In the months that followed, serving with the Army of the Jihad, the pair helped surround, board, and seize two giant Omnius battleships, which were then converted for human use. Other strikes had been planned, but the Omnius Scourge killed so many soldiers that they were cancelled, and the two mercenaries spent most of their time in rescue and recovery work. On Ix they encountered a mob of Martyrists who had salvaged pulse-swords and other weaponry and meant to strike Corrin, claiming the guidance of Saint Serena. Nar Trig found the Martyrists' fanaticism reasonable and parted ways with the more reluctant Istian.

Salusa Secundus#

Five years after the Jihad, Istian received a message from Nar Trig inviting him to Salusa Secundus. Trig had joined the Cult of Serena but had not forgotten his training with Chirox, and the message was in fact a forgery designed to bring Chirox to Salusa Secundus so the fighting machine could be destroyed. Istian and Chirox were met not by a formal committee but by an angry mob of Cultists intent on purging the city. Against Istian's calls for reason, Nar Trig challenged Chirox to a fight and lost his life, enraging the mob further. Istian defended Chirox, declaring that it was what Jool Noret would have done. The robot, unwilling to let anyone die for him, shut himself off, but Istian still prevented the mob from smashing his hulk until they backed away, unwilling to face a veteran swordmaster.

The Battle of Corrin#

At the Battle of Corrin, Istian fought as an uneasy ally of the same zealots. Leading the ground attack alongside his fellow mercenaries, he was reminded of Chirox as he faced the combat meks, and this at last connected him to the spirit of Jool Noret within him, allowing him to reach the final level of abandonment, the secret of Noret's fighting style. He is thought to have survived the battle, though nothing more of his life was recorded. Quotes from his teachings, which refer to the understanding he reached at Corrin, suggest he most likely returned to Ginaz to train the next generation of swordmasters.