Charsae Saal, a male Kel Dor and a Baran Do Sage, came into existence during the era of the Galactic Republic. He was just a child when the Jedi Order suffered its infamous purge. Koro Ziil, the Master of the Order, trained him to be a Baran Do Sage, and he later ascended to the position of the Order's chief combat instructor. In 43.5 ABY, Luke Skywalker, the former Jedi Grand Master—who had recently been banished for his inability to prevent Darth Caedus, the Sith Lord, from succumbing to the dark side—arrived on Dorin with his son, Ben Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, seeking Ziil's wisdom. Saal provided Ben with brief combat training for a single day, but on that very day, Saal made the decision to join the Hidden Ones, a clandestine Baran Do group dedicated to preserving their ancient knowledge. The following day, Saal observed his dying ceremony, a ritual performed by sages before becoming Hidden Ones, where they feigned surrendering to the Force and perishing. Luke, however, was not deceived by Saal's staged "death," prompting him and Ben to investigate the ceremony site. The Skywalkers uncovered a concealed underground chamber, where they discovered Saal alive and well, and they accompanied him to the secret headquarters of the Hidden Ones, known as the Caverns of the Hidden One.
Upon reaching the caverns, Saal adopted the name "Chara" and showed the Skywalkers around, informing them that, to safeguard the Hidden Ones' secrecy, they would be confined there permanently. He then engaged in a duel with Ithia, a highly skilled fighter, and easily defeated her—a feat he had previously struggled with before Ithia joined the Hidden Ones. Shortly afterward, Luke, aiming to demonstrate his theory that the Hidden Ones were experiencing a decline in their Force abilities, proposed a duel between Ben and Chara. Despite Chara's superior skill, Ben emerged victorious. Subsequently, Ziil, who had risen to become the leader of the Hidden Ones, confronted Luke in a battle involving Force powers, which Luke won. Following this, the Hidden Ones staged a rebellion and returned to the Baran Do on the surface.
Charsae Saal, a Kel Dor who was sensitive to the Force and hailed from the planet of Dorin, was born at some point before the Great Jedi Purge of 19 BBY, and was quite young when the Purge took place. Koro Ziil, the Master of the Order, trained Saal as a sage of the Baran Do, a Force organization based on his native world. Saal was among the select few sages who underwent combat training, making him one of the most skilled. Around 23 ABY, Ziil made him swear to secrecy and informed him about the Hidden Ones, a clandestine group within the Baran Do dedicated to preserving their knowledge. He explained that, in the event of the Baran Do's extermination, the organization could potentially be restored in the future. Their leader was known as the Hidden One, who, at that point in time, was Tokra Hazz. Ziil chose to confide in him because he foresaw Saal's eventual desire to join the Hidden Ones.
Saal frequently sparred with Ithia, a fellow sage who was recognized as one of the Baran Do's most formidable combatants. At some stage, Saal accepted Tistura Paan, a female Kel Dor, as his apprentice, although she later became a student of Tila Mong, the Mistress of the Order. He also authored his memoirs and several instructional manuals at some undefined juncture.
In 43.5 ABY, Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Grand Master, was exiled from Coruscant, the galactic capital, and the New Jedi Order for his failure to prevent Jacen Solo, a Jedi Knight, from succumbing to the dark side of the Force and transforming into Darth Caedus, the Sith Lord. He and his son, Ben Skywalker, journeyed to Dorin in search of Ziil, hoping to gain insight into the factors that might have contributed to Solo's fall to the dark side. Tistura Paan greeted the Skywalkers at the Baran Do temple. Following a tradition between rival martial schools, Paan, a student of the Baran Do Mistress of the Order, and Ben, a student of the Jedi Grand Master, were required to engage in a duel to grant the Skywalkers access to the temple. Ben fought Paan and emerged victorious. Subsequently, Mong informed the Skywalkers that Zill had "accepted death," and the Skywalkers decided to remain and learn what they could regardless.
Saal, who had by then become the temple's senior combat instructor, trained Ben in combat on the day after the Skywalkers' arrival. However, it was on that day that Saal resolved to leave his current life behind and join the Hidden Ones. Before doing so, he gave Paan a datacard containing his recently completed instruction manuals and memoirs. Luke, Ben, and many of the Baran Do Sages attended Saal's dying ceremony, during which Saal feigned surrendering to the Force as a burst of flames engulfed him, ignited by a small spark of lightning from Mong. Instead of dying, however, a trapdoor was activated, and Saal concealed his presence in the Force as he vanished. Nevertheless, Luke was not fooled by Saal's apparent death; after the ceremony, the Skywalkers searched the area surrounding Saal's pyre. They discovered a door that could be easily opened using the Force, beneath which they found what appeared to be a storage chamber. Saal and Mong were present, along with two other sages, all of whom were alive and well.
The Skywalkers deduced that Ziil had also not died and expressed their desire to accompany Saal to his next destination. The Baran Do agreed to allow the Skywalkers to accompany Saal to the Hidden Ones' home. Upon arriving at the caverns, Saal adopted the name "Chara," refusing to be addressed by his former name. He guided the Skywalkers through the caverns and informed them that, to protect the sect's secrecy, they could never leave once they had entered. Chara also revealed to the Skywalkers that Ziil had become the Hidden Ones' leader, known simply as "the Hidden One."
Several days later, Chara faced Ithia, a fellow Hidden One who had previously been regarded as the Baran Do Sages' best combatant, in a friendly duel. Despite her having always been superior to him in combat, he defeated her. This supported Luke's growing conviction that, by embracing their deaths—turning away from the life, energy, and vitality that constituted the Force—the Hidden Ones had essentially turned their backs on the Force, becoming weaker with each passing day, and losing their will to fight and survive.
Luke later summoned the Hidden Ones to Ziil's throne chamber for a naming ceremony, the ritual in which new members of the Hidden Ones adopted new names. Much to Ziil's dismay, Luke expressed his desire to rename many of them, beginning with Chara, rather than choosing his own new name. Chara refused to be called by his old name, and Luke eventually proposed a duel between Chara and Ben to prove his theory that, by accepting death, the Hidden Ones were losing their strength in the Force. He promised that if Ben lost, he would agree to drop the subject for the rest of his life within the caverns.
Ziil, hoping to ensure that the Skywalkers would never leave, saw this as an opportunity too good to pass up and allowed the duel to proceed. Chara struck first, injuring Ben's ankle and gaining the advantage, but Ben maintained his will to win and never gave up. He landed several blows on Chara and ultimately finished the Kel Dor off with a palm strike to the chin. Although Chara was far more skilled than Ben, the young Jedi emerged victorious in the duel. Chara and the Hidden Ones finally began to believe Luke. Ziil, however, remained defiant and attacked the exiled Grand Master with white Force lightning. A duel of Force powers ensued, with Luke emerging as the victor, leaving Ziil collapsed on the ground. Chara was among the first to check on Ziil's condition, assisting Ithia in rolling Ziil over so that he could attempt to sit up. Even in defeat, Ziil tried to maintain control over the sect, but many of the Hidden Ones turned against him; even Chara began to realize that Ziil was wrong. Ben used the Force to trigger a set of explosives and block the only known exit from the caverns, then proceeded to inform the Hidden Ones of the many lies which Ziil had told them. Eventually, another member of the Hidden Ones, Burra, revealed a secret turbolift chamber leading from the caverns back to the surface of Dorin, and they returned to the surface and resumed their lives.
Charsae Saal was an effective teacher who was well-regarded by his students. In the time leading up to his dying ceremony, many of his Baran Do students and fellow Masters were deeply saddened by his departure. Saal was devoted to his mentor, Koro Ziil, and stood up for what he believed was right. When the Skywalkers began questioning the Hidden Ones' purpose upon arriving in the caverns, Saal defended the Hidden Ones and Ziil without hesitation. Nevertheless, he was capable of recognizing the truth, and, following his defeat at Ben's hands, Saal realized that he and Ziil had been mistaken. Even so, Saal displayed concern for the Hidden Ones' leader, helping to care for him as he lay collapsed on the ground after his battle with Luke.
Saal was recognized for his strength in the Force and was one of the leading Masters of the Baran Do Sages. However, he was most admired for his combat skills. Fighting skills were somewhat uncommon among the Baran Do, as the Order did not require every sage to train in combat techniques. Saal was considered second only to Ithia in combat, and he became the senior combat instructor of the Baran Do temple in Dor'shan. During his brief time with the Hidden Ones, he resigned himself to the fact that he was dead to the outside world, which significantly weakened his powers. Although Saal was able to defeat Ithia, who had always been the superior fighter before she joined the Hidden Ones, he lost in a duel to Ben Skywalker, whom he had taught at the temple just days before.
Charsae Saal was conceived by Aaron Allston, an established Star Wars author, for his inaugural novel in the Fate of the Jedi series, Fate of the Jedi: Outcast, which was released on March 24, 2009.