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{{Character
|type=Dathomiri
|image=[[File:Charal.jpg]]
|name=Charal
|homeworld=[[Dathomir/Legends|Dathomir]]<ref name="gal">{{SWG|An Empire Divided}}</ref>
|birth=Prior to [[96 BBY]]<ref name="CSWE">{{CSWECite|I|119|Charal}}</ref>
|death=
|species=[[Human/Legends|Human]]<ref name="dbchar">{{DB|character|charal|Charal|archivedate=20100210002041}}</ref>
|gender=[[Gender/Legends|Female]]<ref name="gal" />
|height=1.77 [[Imperial standard meter|meters]]<ref name="dbchar" />
|mass=
|hair=[[Color/Legends|Black]]<ref name="gal" />
|eyes=Green<ref name="bfe">''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]''</ref>
|skin=Pale<ref name="gal" />
|cyber=
|clan=[[Nightsisters/Legends|Nightsisters]]<ref name="gal" />
|affiliation=*[[Nightsisters/Legends|Nightsisters]]<ref name="CSWE" />
*[[Sanyassan Marauders]]<ref name="gal" />
|masters=
|apprentices=}}
{{Quote|His companion, Charal, is a female shape-shifter, a Force-wielding witch who apparently escaped from her exile on a planet called Dathomir.|Pfilbee Jhorn|<ref name="Illustrated">''[[The Illustrated Star Wars Universe]]''</ref>}}
'''Charal''' was a [[Force-sensitive/Legends|Force-wielding]] [[Nightsisters/Legends|Nightsister]] who turned her back on the [[Sister (Witches of Dathomir)|sisterhood]] and left her [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]] of [[Dathomir/Legends|Dathomir]]. Before getting off the [[Planet/Legends|planet]] for good, she stole the [[Talisman of the Raven]], a prized artifact that allowed her to [[Metamorphosis (Force power)|metamorphose]] into a [[Bird/Legends|bird]] known as a [[raven]]. The other [[Witch/Legends|witches]] called Charal a traitor and sought to feed her to their [[Rancor/Legends|rancors]], a [[Species/Legends|species]] of ferocious predators. Charal spent [[Standard year/Legends|decades]] trying to escape her pursuers and ultimately joined a band of [[Sanyassan Marauders]], who were themselves being [[Hunting/Legends|hunted]] down by [[Law enforcement agency/Legends|law enforcement agencies]]. Their vessel crashed on the uncharted [[Endor/Legends|Forest Moon]] of [[Endor (planet)/Legends|Endor]], where a [[Sanyassan]] [[Warlord/Legends|warlord]] known as [[Terak]] set himself up as [[King/Legends|King]], appointing Charal as his second-in-command.

Over roughly the next [[Standard century/Legends|century]], the long-lived Marauders established themselves as pillagers and raiders on Endor; Charal matched the Sanyassans' natural longevity through her affinity with [[The Force/Legends|the Force]]. Meanwhile, she enhanced her authority over the Marauders thanks to the powers of the Talisman she had stolen from Dathomir before her desertion. Charal hated being stuck on the [[Forest/Legends|Forest]] [[Moon/Legends|Moon]], but she came to regard herself as the [[Witch-Queen]] of Endor. When the [[Towani family]] of [[Human/Legends|Humans]] crash-landed on the moon in [[3 ABY/Legends|3 ABY]], Charal and the Marauders saw the newcomers' still-functional [[Star Cruiser/Legends|Star Cruiser]] as an opportunity to escape. However, the chance was foiled by the youngest Towani, [[Cindel Towani|Cindel]], her [[Ewok/Legends|Ewok]] friend [[Wicket Wystri Warrick/Legends|Wicket Wystri Warrick]], the Human [[Scout/Legends|scout]] [[Noa Briqualon]], and his [[Teek (species)/Legends|Teek]] [[Teek|companion]]. When Warrick destroyed her Talisman in the heat of [[Battle of Endor (Ewok–Sanyassan conflict)|battle]], Charal became trapped in the form of a raven forever.

==Biography==
===Early life===
{{Quote|One of our sisters has yet to return the Talisman of the Raven.|Talzin, referring to Charal|<ref name="BoS">''[[Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side]]''</ref>}}
[[File:Dathomir.png|thumb|left|200px|Dathomir, a planet of fog and witches]]
A [[Human/Legends|Human]] [[Gender/Legends|female]] from [[Dathomir/Legends|Dathomir]], Charal was [[Reproduction/Legends|born]] a [[Witch/Legends|witch]] to a [[Nightsisters/Legends|Nightsister]] clan, well over a [[Standard century/Legends|standard century]] before the [[Galactic Civil War/Legends|Galactic Civil War]]. As she learned to master the spells of her coven, she came to be highly regarded by her [[Sister (Witches of Dathomir)|sisters]] for her outstanding talents in [[Dathomir Magic|Shadow Magic]], especially the mysterious art of [[Metamorphosis (Force power)|shapeshifting]].<ref name="CSWE" /> During her life on her [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]], Charal was also taught [[Horse/Legends|horsemanship]]&mdash;unlike many Nightsisters, she rode a [[Color/Legends|black]] horse instead of a carnivorous [[Rancor/Legends|rancor]].<ref name="bfe" /><ref name="WSWFG">''[[The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide]]''</ref>

At some point, Charal decided to leave her homeworld. She abandoned her clan<ref name="CSWE" /> and stole the [[Talisman of the Raven]], a [[Ring/Legends|ring]] that allowed the wearer to physically change shape to become a [[Bird/Legends|bird]] known as a [[raven]].<ref name="BoS" /> Her desertion was not well received, and Charal earned a [[Death mark/Legends|death mark]] from the other witches, who wanted to return her to Dathomir so that she might be fed to the rancors.<ref name="EndorModdell">{{GamerCite|9|Endor and the Moddell Sector}}</ref> Hunted, Charal spent decades moving from [[Star system/Legends|star system]] to [[Star/Legends|star]] system across [[The galaxy/Legends|the galaxy]], trying to avoid both her former Sisters and those [[Jedi Knight/Legends|Jedi Knights]] who hounded runaway [[Dark Jedi/Legends|darksiders]]. She eventually joined a band of [[Sanyassan]] [[Pirate/Legends|pirates]] known as the [[Sanyassan Marauders|Marauders]], who were on the run from [[Law enforcement agency/Legends|law enforcement agencies]].<ref name="dbchar" /> [[Terak]], leader of the Sanyassan pirates, agreed to forge an alliance with Charal. The witch intended to stay with the raiders on their [[Starship/Legends|starship]] only long enough to secure herself passage with a different vessel&mdash;but a shipwreck ruined her plans.<ref name="Illustrated" />

The pirates were barely able to [[Pilot/Legends|pilot]] their stolen [[Star Cruiser/Legends|Star Cruiser]], and their [[Navigator/Legends|navigator]] could not handle the complex [[Gravity/Legends|gravity]] patterns of the [[Endor system/Legends|Endor system]]. In [[96 BBY]], their vessel crashed on the [[Endor/Legends|Sanctuary Moon]] of [[Endor (planet)/Legends|Endor]],<ref name="Illustrated" /> a protected nature reserve located in the [[Moddell sector/Legends|Moddell sector]].<ref name="CL">[[Star Wars: Complete Locations (2005)|''Star Wars: Complete Locations'']]</ref> Like many other unfortunate travelers, the castaway witch found herself stranded due to the stellar anomalies surrounding Endor.<ref name="Illustrated" />

===Life on Endor===
{{Quote|You have the distinct honor of being spoken to by Charal, Witch-Queen of this god-forsaken moon. You have come to serve my desires, have you not?|Charal, on Endor|Star Wars Galaxies}}
[[File:Charal_and_Company.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Charal and the Marauders in King Terak's stronghold]]
While on Endor, Charal stayed with the Marauders. Their leader, Terak, set himself up as [[King/Legends|King]], occupying [[Terak's Keep|a primitive castle]] in the plains of the [[Dragon's Pelt]] savanna. Using her Talisman to great effect, the Nightsister intimidated the Sanyassan pirates with displays of its power, and she eventually came to rule over them as Terak's cohort.<ref name="FF10">{{FFCite|10|END4, ''The Forest Moon of Endor''}}</ref> There was a delicate balance of power between Terak and Charal, and each of them used every opportunity they could to overcome the other.<ref name="WWSWG">''[[Who's Who in Star Wars Galaxies]]''</ref> Driven by delusions of grandeur, Charal styled herself as the [[Witch-Queen]] of Endor.<ref name="gal" /> Together with the Sanyassans, Charal constantly preyed on the more peaceful inhabitants of the [[Forest/Legends|Forest]] Moon, most notably the diminutive [[Ewok/Legends|Ewoks]].<ref name="Illustrated" /> She was notably at odds with [[Logray/Legends|Logray]], the Ewok [[Shaman/Legends|shaman]] of [[Bright Tree Village/Legends|Bright Tree Village]], who was admittedly wary of her power.<ref name="E:SOE">''[[Star Wars: Ewoks—Shadows of Endor]]''</ref>

Around [[26 BBY/Legends|26 BBY]],<ref name="HNN">{{Hnn|49|regional/13328_2.html|Missing Starship Search Abandoned|https://web.archive.org/web/20120717023143/http://www.holonetnews.com/49/regional/13328_2.html}}</ref> Charal and the Marauders captured [[Salak Weet]], a stranded [[Humanoid/Legends|humanoid]] [[Scout/Legends|scout]]. Weet spoke of his Star Cruiser hidden in the forests, and he told the Marauders of how the vessel traveled through [[Realspace/Legends|realspace]], capable of doing so by the "power." In much of the [[galactic community]], what the scout spoke of was considered everyday technology, but Charal and the Sanyassans were stuck in primitive thinking. They took Weet's words literally, and Terak became obsessed with finding the "power" of the stars that the scout mentioned.<ref name="dbmar">{{DB|species|marauder|Sanyassan Marauders|archivedate=20100210060753}}</ref>

While Charal held a position of authority, not all of the Marauders feared the witch. During their life on Endor, Charal and the Sanyassan [[Academician|scholar]] [[Szingo]] developed a bitter rivalry. One [[Standard day/Legends|day]], after Marauder scouts shot down a pirate ship, Szingo asked a passing [[Spacer/Legends|spacer]] to [[Death/Legends|disintegrate]] the survivors and to bring their leader's weapon to him. Once Charal heard of the discovery, she raided the crashed ship with a few Sanyassan henchmen and destroyed the wreckage to ensure that the scholar would find nothing else. Szingo, intent on revenge, ordered the spacer to kill the Marauders who had performed this act of treachery. When the offworlder did so, Terak was displeased by the deaths of his men, so Szingo intended to place the blame on Charal. However, the Nightsister used her sorcery to prove she had nothing to do with the attack, shielding herself from the King's wrath.<ref name="gal" />

====Charal's poultice====
{{Quote|I have need of your services once again, my dearest. My poultice that will allow me to divine the future now needs the next ingredient. I will be pleased if you find my slave whom ''[sic]'' hasn't returned with it yet. Will you, my pretty?|Charal|Star Wars Galaxies}}
[[File:Charal-SWG.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Nightsister Charal at the beginning of the Galactic Civil War]]
At some point between [[0 ABY/Legends|0 ABY]] and [[3 ABY/Legends|3 ABY]],<ref name="gal" /><ref name="NEC">''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''</ref> Charal was working on a [[Charal's divinatory poultice|poultice]] that would help her divine the future. A passing-by spacer approached her and offered to be of service. Charal took advantage of the offer and had the spacer venture into the woods to retrieve the [[spleen]] of a healthy Ewok. When the spacer returned with the spleen, Charal added it to her poultice. To retrieve the next ingredient, the Witch-Queen dispatched "[[Lizardman the Slave|Lizardman]]," a dimwitted [[Trandoshan/Legends|Trandoshan]] [[Slavery/Legends|slave]] she used as her personal assistant, as he had a keen sense of smell for the type of herb she required. When he did not return, Charal decided to enlist the spacer once again, this time to retrieve Lizardman. The spacer did so, and returned with Lizardman in tow. Fortunately for Charal, the Trandoshan had the herbs required. For her final ingredient, the Witch-Queen required Ewok spittle. The spacer assisted her once again, retrieving a whole, live Ewok and returning it to Terak's Keep.<ref name="gal" />

Pleased, Charal extracted the required saliva from the [[Prisoner/Legends|captive]] and completed her poultice. With it, she saw a [[Force vision/Legends|vision]] of many ships landing on the Forest Moon, ships she planned to steal. She also discovered that a ship had crashed on Endor recently, and that survivors of the crash possessed a [[Comlink/Legends|comlink]]&mdash;a communication device that would allow her to steal the ships that would be landing in the future. Once more enlisting the spacer, whom she now regarded as a [[Slavery/Legends|slave]], Charal bade her servant steal the comlink from the survivors of the crash. The spacer ventured forth, killed the survivors, and returned with the device. The Witch-Queen was overjoyed; with the comlink in her possession, she believed she would be able to control the universe. Satisfied, Charal dismissed her servant; by following the spacer's own destiny, Charal reasoned, the spacer would serve the witch's as well.<ref name="gal" />

====The Witch and the Imperials====
{{Quote|The Force witch Charal, who called herself a Nightsister, freed us after promise to take her with us when the retrieval ship homed in our beacons.|Pfilbee Jhorn|<ref name="Illustrated" />}}
When the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]] first explored the Sanctuary Moon, the Marauders captured the Imperial scouting party, including a Human [[Sergeant/Legends|Sergeant]] named [[Pfilbee Jhorn]]. Charal relished the hope that she could escape at last with the Imperials. Nevertheless, the Marauders merely took the intruders down into their gritty [[Prison/Legends|cellblocks]], deprived them of their possessions, and [[Torture/Legends|tortured]] one of them to death. Unbeknownst to Terak, the Force witch sneaked into the dungeons to parley with Jhorn and his men. Charal promised to help the survey team escape as long as they vowed to take her with them. The prisoners agreed to the deal, but Terak learned of Charal's treachery before she could escape. He grew angry and had the Sister tossed into a cage even as the Imperials ran to their freedom. The woman stayed in prison until the King finally agreed to forgive her betrayal and let her become his second-in-command again.<ref name="Illustrated" />

====Run-in with Logray====
{{Quote|You decaying fool! Your pathetic forest magic is no match for the invaders, no match for the Griagh&hellip; And no match for a Nightsister of Dathomir!|Charal to Logray|<ref name="E:SOE" />}}
[[File:Charal_vs_Logray.png|thumb|right|250px|Charal fighting Logray and Paploo for the Sunstar]]
By 3 ABY, the Imperials had come back to Endor and started building a [[Deflector shield generator/Legends|deflector shield generator]] and a [[Endor shield generator bunker|bunker]] on the [[Dulok Swamp]]. Their presence on the green moon had awakened the [[Griagh]], a monstrous beast that had long been considered mythical. In the midst of these events, Charal had a showdown with the shaman Logray. He had come along with his apprentice [[Paploo/Legends|Paploo]] to discuss the recent events with her. When the old Ewok allowed her to touch the Sunstar, Charal experienced a powerful vision that gave her a glimpse of the perils to come.<ref name="E:SOE" />

Enticed by the might of the Sunstar, she demanded that Logray let her have it. Faced with the Ewoks' refusal, Charal went on the offensive. Using her [[magic]] to summon a group of [[Dulok/Legends|Dulok]] [[Skeleton/Legends|skeletons]], she prevented Paploo from defending the shaman, whom she ensnared by making giant [[Plant/Legends|brambles]] [[Surge of the Brier|grow and twist]] around him. The witch's plans almost succeeded, until Paploo got rid of the undead Duloks and used his [[Slingshot/Legends|slingshot]] to knock the Sunstar away from her hands. The shot not only hit Charal's hand, but it also struck her talisman, turning the witch into her raven form on the spot. Finding herself in the midst of a temporary defeat, the Witch-Queen of Endor retreated. As an act of revenge, she later had Logray and Paploo ambushed by a group of Imperial [[Stormtrooper/Legends|stormtroopers]]. While still in raven form, the Dathomiri woman scratched one of the stormtroopers' helmets with her claws, causing the trooper to chase her into the woods. This allowed Charal to lead the Imperials directly to the Ewoks.<ref name="E:SOE" />

===The Battle for Endor===
{{Quote|She's evil!|Cindel Towani, on Charal|<ref name="bfe" />}}
[[File:Charal_-_SWGTCG.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Charal, the Witch-Queen of the Forest Moon]]
In 3.5 ABY,<ref name="btm">''[[Star Wars: Behind the Magic]]''</ref> Charal accompanied the Marauders during an [[Raid on Bright Tree Village|attack]] on Bright Tree Village, an Ewok [[City/Legends|settlement]] where the Human [[Towani family]] had sought refuge after crashing on Endor in their [[Towani family star cruiser|Star Cruiser]]. Terak still sought what he called the "power"&mdash;actually the [[crystal oscillator]] from the family's spacecraft&mdash;which he believed the Towanis possessed. As such, during the attack, the Witch-Queen ventured to the location of the downed vessel. There, Charal found the family patriarch, [[Jeremitt Towani]], working on the ship; she ordered the Marauders to beat him in an attempt to discover the location of the "power". In due course, Terak himself arrived and began interrogating the man. Towani claimed ignorance, but Terak strongly believed that the man was the "Guardian of the power." Terak removed the ship's [[Crystal/Legends|crystal]] oscillator and triumphantly declared to his men that he had the "power". At that moment, Towani lunged for a [[Blaster pistol/Legends|blaster pistol]] and shot down one of the Marauders before attempting to escape. Terak, satisfied with his find, sent his men after the Human.<ref name="bfe" />

Using her ring, Charal shifted into her raven form and tracked down Jeremitt Towani, who was hiding with his daughter, [[Cindel Towani|Cindel]]. The Witch-Queen alerted the Marauders to their location, but the girl escaped into the woods. As Charal gave chase, the Marauders found and killed the elder Towani. The Human girl was not able to run far, however&mdash;the Witch-Queen returned to her normal form and stopped the young Towani in her tracks. With the rest of her family killed by then, the young girl was taken as a captive by Terak's Marauders. However, she escaped from their custody with the aid of the captured Ewoks while they were on the road to Terak's Keep.<ref name="bfe" /> Back at the [[castle]], Charal attempted to use her Force-witch magic to activate the crystal oscillator, but without success.<ref name="FF123">{{FFCite|123|TOW1-4, ''Cindel Towani''}}</ref> She suggested to Terak that the Towani girl might be able to help activate the device, but her remark only incensed the King. He immediately ordered Charal and the Marauders to locate and recapture the young Human.<ref name="bfe" />

As a raven, Charal set out into the woods. She was able to ascertain that Towani was staying with another Human living on Endor, an older man named [[Noa Briqualon]]. The day after she had made her discovery, Charal distanced herself from [[Noa Briqualon's hut|Briqualon's residence]] and began calling Cindel Towani's name, replicating the voice of [[Catarine Towani]], the young girl's [[Parent/Legends|mother]]. As the child grew nearer, Charal began singing "[[My Star]]," one of the young Towani's favorite songs. To further entice her prey, the Witch-Queen took on the appearance of a much younger Human with [[Gold/Legends|golden]] [[Hair/Legends|hair]] and white [[Robe/Legends|robes]]. Nearby, she had a white horse waiting. When Towani entered her presence, the disguised witch had the young girl bring a nearby robe to her. Taking the garment, Charal quickly transformed into her normal self and seized Towani. Her new captive in tow, Charal mounted [[Charal's stallion|her horse]], which was now black, and rode for Terak's Keep.<ref name="bfe" />

[[File:Charal1.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Charal in 3.5 ABY]]
The witch brought Cindel Towani before the Marauder king, and both ordered the girl to release "the power" of the crystal oscillator. Towani confessed that she did not know how to use the crystal, sending Terak into a fit of anger. The Sanyassan imprisoned both Charal and the girl in his stronghold's dungeon. Behind the bars, the Nightsister scolded Towani for not giving Terak what he had demanded. The witch also revealed that it was Briqualon's friend Salak Weet&mdash;now lying dead in one of the cells&mdash;who had first told them of "the power" contained in the energy cells. Meanwhile, Towani's friends sneaked into the stronghold to free the girl, as well as the Marauders' Ewok captives. Briqualon, [[Wicket Wystri Warrick/Legends|Wicket Wystri Warrick]], and Briqualon's [[Teek (species)/Legends|Teek]] [[Teek|companion]] made it to the cellblocks and set their friends free. For a moment, Charal hoped she would be able to escape too, and she asked Warrick to open her cage. Towani, however, took the keys from her Ewok companion before he could comply. The party left the castle, taking the crystal oscillator with them.<ref name="bfe" />

When Terak learned of the jailbreak, he decided to lead a punitive expedition to retrieve the crystal. He turned to Charal and commanded her to go after the fugitives. He allowed the Force witch to use her Talisman to change into a raven again, but this time, Terak grabbed the bird by the leg and seized the ring. The Sanyassan wanted to keep Charal in bird form so she would track the group without betraying him and running away. The Nightsister flew off with the full Marauder [[Army/Legends|army]] close behind. When they finally reached their targets at [[Noa Briqualon's starship|Briqualon's Star Cruiser]], a [[Battle of Endor (Ewok–Sanyassan conflict)|battle]] ensued between the Marauders and the Ewoks. Charal observed the fighting in bird form, flying around the battlefield. During Terak's final duel with Briqualon, Warrick intervened and used his sling to hit the Sanyassan warlord. However, the Ewok's aim was low: instead of hitting Terak between the [[Eye/Legends|eyes]], the rock struck Charal's ring, which was around his neck. The Talisman of the Raven shattered, unleashing its powers on the Marauder leader and burning him to a crisp,<ref name="bfe" /> as well as trapping Charal in her animal form forever.<ref name="EGC">''[[The Essential Guide to Characters]]''</ref> She swooped down to the ground to try to reclaim the remains of her ring,<ref name="FF123" /> circled frantically overhead and then flew away into the forest, shrieking.<ref name="bfe" /> What became of her subsequently remained a mystery.<ref name="FF123" />

===Legacy===
{{Quote|The final decision is up to the Emperor, of course, but I hope he chooses never to return to this unpleasant Forest Moon.|Pfilbee Jhorn|<ref name="Illustrated" />}}
[[File:Ravencharal.png|thumb|left|175px|Charal in raven form]]
Against the advice of Sergeant Jhorn, who had been tortured by the Marauders,<ref name="Illustrated" /> [[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Galactic Emperor]] [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]] chose to build the [[SLD-26 planetary shield generator/Legends|shield generator]] for his [[Death Star II/Legends|second Death Star]] [[battlestation]] on Endor's forest moon, and the [[Satellite/Legends|satellite]] found itself in the Empire's grasp.<ref name="Death Star II in the Databank">{{DB|location|deathstarii|Death Star II|archivedate=20100318035521}}</ref> A few [[Standard month/Legends|months]] after the defeat of Charal and the Sanyassans, members of the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]] sought to destroy the [[Death Star/Legends|Death Star]], so they came to Endor in order to disable the [[Deflector shield generator/Legends|shield generator]]. When Wicket Warrick first met Alliance heroine [[Prince/Legends|Princess]] [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia Organa]], he remembered his previous encounters with Humans, and the memory of Charal still made him shudder in fear.<ref name="ROJJN">[[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (junior novelization)|''Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi'' junior novelization]]</ref> The Death Star was finally [[Battle of Endor/Legends|destroyed]] from within by the [[Alliance Fleet]], and Endor regained its freedom.<ref name="Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi">{{Film|VI}}</ref>

When agents of the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]]&mdash;the democratic government established by the Alliance&mdash;scouted the forests, they found no trace of the Marauders or Charal. As the agents had no knowledge of the conflict between the Sanyassans and the Ewoks, they had not heard of what happened to the witch. In their reports, they erroneously postulated that Palpatine had killed Charal, as he would not have tolerated another dangerous Force-user dwelling on the moon he was planning to use.<ref name="FF10" />

==Personality and traits==
{{Quote|This blighted excuse for a moon is not what I had in mind when I escaped my home planet of Dathomir. After my concoction has come to completion, I will know how much longer I must remain upon this nightmare of a world.|Charal, to a spacer|Star Wars Galaxies}}
[[File:Have_you_met_Charal.png|thumb|right|175px|Charal, a woman with a presence]]
Charal was an imposing Human,<ref name="AGTSWU2">''[[A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded]]''</ref> standing 1.77 [[Imperial standard meter|meters]] tall,<ref name="dbchar" /> with a slender shape, angular features, raven-black hair, and green eyes. She wore a black-and-red [[grafiform]] robe with [[Octopus/Legends|octopus]]-like tendrils, a cloak of black feathers, and a tight-fitting [[Nightsister armor|Nightsister breastplate]].<ref name="bfe" /> Although she was a supercentenarian<ref name="CSWE" /> at the time of the Galactic Civil War, her appearance remained that of a person of indeterminate age.<ref name="AGTSWU2" /> She would sometimes enhance her appearance by wearing bright red lipstick and nail polish as well as green eyeshadow.<ref name="E:SOE" />

After her crash-landing on Endor, the Force witch came to hate the Forest Moon and constantly sought to venture offworld. She was highly derisive of her ally, the Sanyassan King Terak, and one day hoped to put an end to her alliance with him.<ref name="gal" /> Charal seized every opportunity to gain the upper hand on the warlord and to increase her personal influence on the Marauders,<ref name="WWSWG" /> but generally kept a low profile in front of the king, avoiding direct confrontation.<ref name="bfe" /> The witch also developed feelings of rivalry toward scholar Szingo, another minor figure of authority at the Marauders' Stronghold.<ref name="gal" />

The Witch-Queen also had a very low opinion of her slave, Lizardman, and wished that she possessed a more intelligent assistant. She reacted to any insubordination or lack of respect from those she regarded to be her inferiors with great chagrin. Charal had a habit of referring to those in her service as "slave" or "servant," although she immediately corrected herself upon doing so.<ref name="gal" /> Despite being inherently evil<ref name="FF123" /> and an active supporter of slavery, she tended to be vain and opportunistic rather than actively malevolent toward those around her. She addressed her subservients with a patronizing yet often endearing tone, and she never attempted to hurt or kill them.<ref name="gal" /><ref name="bfe" /> The Witch-Queen placed great stock in the power of a standard item such as a comlink, believing it could grant her all manner of power.<ref name="gal" /> Her original culture, the [[Witches of Dathomir]], were half-primitivists, having consciously rejected technology on philosophical grounds. Even after Dathomir joined the New Republic in [[8 ABY/Legends|8 ABY]], the Witches still preferred to maintain their natural lifestyle.<ref name="atlas">''[[The Essential Atlas]]''</ref>

==Powers and abilities==
{{Quote|I'll give you to the count of five, then I shall begin singing&hellip; run, little rabbit, run&hellip;|Charal, to a spacer|Star Wars Galaxies}}
[[File:Charal_metamorphosis.png|thumb|left|175px|Charal, in the guise of a young witch]]
When she still lived on Dathomir, Charal was regarded by others as a highly skilled witch.<ref name="CSWE" /> With the use of her ring, Charal had the power to transform into a raven.<ref name="bfe" /> Following the traditions of the Nightsisters' magic, she used most of her powers through singing.<ref name="gal" /> Like many other witches, she was gifted with [[Force power/Legends|Force powers]] such as [[Animal bond|Animal Affinity]], [[Force storm (weather)|Summon Storm]], and [[Telekinesis/Legends|Force Whirlwind]].<ref name="EndorModdell" /> She was also able to [[Force sense/Legends|locate]] other beings and [[Mind trick/Legends|compel]] them to do her bidding.<ref name="gal" /> She could channel [[spirit ichor]] in the form of green smoke and use it as extensions of her arms to physically hit her opponents or raise them off the ground. Additionally, she had the ability to animate corpses,<ref name="E:SOE" /> a feat that she shared with other powerful sorceresses like [[Daka/Legends|Old Daka]].<ref name="Massacre">{{TCW|Massacre}}</ref> Through a power known to the Nightsisters as Surge of the Brier,<ref name="BoS" /> she could trigger the growth of a plant and shape it into a form of her choosing.<ref name="E:SOE" />

Charal possessed useful, non-magical abilities. She was a capable [[Unarmed combat|martial artist]] and was also proficient with all kinds of weapons, including [[Blaster pistol/Legends|blaster pistols]].<ref name="EndorModdell" /> She was skilled at horseback riding too&mdash;she possessed a black stallion she could turn into a white steed through magic.<ref name="bfe" /> In addition to her other skills, Charal could speak at least four languages—[[Galactic Basic Standard/Legends|Galactic Basic Standard]], [[Ewokese/Legends|Ewokese]],<ref name="EndorModdell" /> [[Sanyassan (language)|Sanyassan]] and [[Dathomiri language|Dathomiri]].<ref name="bfe" />

==Behind the scenes==
{{Quote|Talisman of Transformation: This lets people turn into animals and references the 1985 TV movie ''Ewoks: The Battle for Endor'', specifically the magic ring worn by the evil witch Charal (which allowed her to turn into a raven).|Daniel Wallace, in his endnotes for ''Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side''|url=http://geekosity.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/endnotes-for-star-wars-book-of-sith.html}}
[[File:Charal_iswu.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Charal concept art by Joe Johnston]]
Charal was created for the [[1985]] made-for-TV film ''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]''.<ref name="bfe" /> Her name came about when [[Wikipedia:ABC Entertainment|ABC Entertainment]] pushed the movie's co-directors [[Jim Wheat|Jim]] and [[Ken Wheat]] to hire [[Wikipedia:Cheryl Ladd|Cheryl Ladd]] to play the witch's part.<ref name="KenWheat">[[Charal/Email from Ken Wheat|Email from Ken Wheat on Charal]]</ref> In the actual movie, Charal was portrayed by [[Siân Phillips]] in her true form and [[Marianne Horine]] in her young witch form.<ref name="bfe" /> The character was designed by the American director and artist [[Joe Johnston]], who first envisioned her as a greenish-skinned [[Humanoid/Legends|humanoid]].<ref name="Illustrated" />

Charal's exact origins and background remained a mystery until [[1995]], when [[Kevin J. Anderson]] [[retcon]]ned her into a Witch of Dathomir in ''[[The Illustrated Star Wars Universe]]''.<ref name="Illustrated" /> The Force witches had been created a year [[1994|earlier]] in [[Dave Wolverton]]'s novel ''[[The Courtship of Princess Leia]]''.<ref name="COPL">''[[The Courtship of Princess Leia]]''</ref>

In the 2000s, Charal was featured as a non-player character in the ''[[Star Wars]]''-themed [[Wikipedia:Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] ''[[Star Wars Galaxies]]'', in which she acted as a quest giver to the player characters, who had the ability to travel from planet to planet in spacecraft. Charal did not try to barter passage offworld with the spacers with whom she interacted, despite being shown as eager to leave Endor for good in the game.<ref name="gal" />

During development of the Nightsister episodes of ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'', supervising director [[Dave Filoni]] made sketches of Charal and considered including her in the show.<ref name="TCW">{{Twitter|pablohidalgo|status/1163324749046407168|[[Pablo Hidalgo]]|quote=And in what almost came full circle, when Dave Filoni was developing the Nightsisters episodes (written by Katie Lucas), he did explore putting Charal in these episodes. There's some art of her in one of his sketchbooks, but it ultimately did not come to pass.|archivefile=File:HidalgoTwitter09182019.png}}</ref> Charal was indirectly mentioned in [[Daniel Wallace]]'s ''[[Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side]]'', in the ''[[Wild Power]]'' section. In it, [[Mother (title)/Legends|Clan Mother]] [[Talzin/Legends|Talzin]] mentions that "''One of our sisters has yet to return the Talisman of the Raven.''"<ref name="BoS" /> In his endnotes for the ''Book of Sith'', Wallace revealed that the Talisman of the Raven was specifically created as a reference to Charal and her magic.<ref name="BOS endnotes">{{Blogspot|blogspoturl=geekosity|url=2012/04/endnotes-for-star-wars-book-of-sith.html#!/2012/04/endnotes-for-star-wars-book-of-sith.html|blogspotname=Daniel Wallace's Geekosity|postname=Endnotes for Star Wars: Book of Sith (part 4)|archivedate=20171125215949}}</ref>

In "[[Who's Who in Star Wars Galaxies]]," an article published in [[2003]] in the [[Star Wars Insider 65|''Star Wars Insider'' 65]], it was claimed that Terak's quest for the "power" is what caused him to forge his alliance with Charal.<ref name="WWSWG" /> However, both Charal's [[Databank (original)|Databank]] entry on [[StarWars.com]]<ref name="dbchar" /> and ''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]'', published in [[2008]],<ref name="CSWE" /> stated that the Nightsister joined the Marauders before the crash on Endor, which happened decades before Terak first heard of the "power" from Salak Weet. This article follows the version of the facts featured in the ''Complete Encyclopedia'', as it is the newer source.

In [[October]] [[2013]], Charal was featured as a minor antagonist in ''[[Star Wars: Ewoks—Shadows of Endor]]'', a [[Star Wars comic books|trade paperback]] published by [[Dark Horse Comics]].<ref name="E:SOE" /> The comic's author [[Zack Giallongo]] commented that his version of the character was designed to look a bit more like the Nightsisters shown in the animated series ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]''.<ref name="GiaFB">{{FacebookCite|profilelink=|url=ZackGiallongo/posts/694715113872084?comment_id=93709059&offset=0&total_comments=7|author=[[Zack Giallongo]]|date=Oct 31, 2013|description=On Charal|archivefile=File:Giallongo Charal.png}}</ref> Charal notably summons corpses to fight in her stead, as did the Nightsister Daka in "[[Massacre]]," the nineteenth episode of the the animated series' [[The Clone Wars: Season Four|fourth season]]. Giallongo added that Charal, however, did not have enough power to resurrect an entire army.<ref name="GiaFB2">{{FacebookCite|profilelink=|url=ZackGiallongo/posts/10202417884794527?comment_id=7345422&offset=0&total_comments=1|author=[[Zack Giallongo]]|date=Nov 11, 2013|description=Chant of Resurrection|archivefile=File:Giallongo Chant of Resurrection.png}}</ref>

As the "Witch of Endor," Charal has a [[Wikipedia:Bible|biblical]] namesake in the [[Wikipedia:Witch of Endor|woman]] who was consulted by King [[Wikipedia:Saul|Saul]] and who conjured the ghost of [[Wikipedia:Samuel|Samuel]] from the dead&mdash;as told in the [[Wikipedia:Books of Samuel|First Book of Samuel]].<ref name="WOE">{{Cite_web|url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/Bible/Prophets/Former_Prophets/Book_of_Samuel/Witch_of_Endor.shtml|title=The Witch of Endor|author=Louis Jacobs|work=MyJewishLearning.com|archivedate=20121110033117}}</ref>

==Appearances==
*{{SWG|An Empire Divided}}
*''[[Star Wars: Ewoks—Shadows of Endor]]''
*''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]'' {{1st}}
*[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (book-and-record)|''Ewoks: The Battle for Endor'' book-and-record]]
*''[[The Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure]]''
*[[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (junior novelization)|''Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi'' junior novelization]] {{Imo}}

==Sources==
{{Scroll_box|
*''[[George Lucas: The Creative Impulse]]''
*''[[A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded]]''
*''[[The Essential Guide to Characters]]''
*''[[The Illustrated Star Wars Universe]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Chronicles]]''
*''[[Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*''[[A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded]]''
*''[[The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide]]'' {{Imo}}
*{{GamerCite|9|Endor and the Moddell Sector}}
*{{FFCite|10|END4, ''The Forest Moon of Endor''}}
*{{InsiderCite|62|Return to Endor}}
*{{InsiderCite|65|Who's Who in Star Wars Galaxies}}
*{{FFCite|123|TOW1-4, ''Cindel Towani''}}
*{{Hyperspace|url=fans/hyperspace/source/feature20081201.html|text=Castaways of Endor|int=Castaways of Endor}}
*''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*{{SWGTCG|set=Squadrons Over Corellia|cardname=Charal}}
*{{InsiderCite|122|Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Nightsisters but Were Afraid to Ask}}
*{{InsiderCite|123|Secrets of the Force}}
*{{DB|character|charal|Charal|archivedate=20100210002041}}
*{{DB|species|marauder|Sanyassan Marauders|archivedate=20100210060753}}
*{{DB|character|terak|Terak|archivedate=20100203110646}}
*{{DB|character|cindeltowani|Towani, Cindel|archivedate=20100202232919}}
*{{DB|character|generalyavid|Yavid, General|archivedate=20100318124325}}
*''[[Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side]]'' {{Imo}}
*{{InsiderCite|143|Memoirs of an Ewok}} {{Po}}
*{{SW|url=news/drawing-from-the-present-familiar-creatures-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away|text=Drawing from the Present: Familiar Creatures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away}}
*{{SW|url=news/the-nightsisters-from-dathomir-a-history|text=The Nightsisters From Dathomir: A History}}}}

==Notes and references==
{{Scroll_box|content={{Mediacat|imagecat=Images of Charal}}
{{Reflist}}}}

==External links==
*{{SWGWiki}}

{{Interlang
|de=Charal
|es=Charal
|la=Charal
|nl=Charal
|ru=Чарал
}}

[[Category:Endorians]]
[[Category:Females]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Nightsisters]]