In the year 3.5 ABY, the Bright Tree Village located on the forest moon of Endor was attacked by the Sanyassan Marauders, who were commanded by King Terak and the Nightsister [Charal]. In their quest to discover the "power of the stars"—a mysterious force that would enable their departure from Endor—Terak and his Marauders habitually assaulted the native Ewoks. Upon reaching Bright Tree Village, Terak and his followers discovered the stranded starcruiser of the Towani, which belonged to a family of Human castaways seeking refuge from the Ewoks. Erroneously believing the starcruiser to be the source of the "power", the king murdered the crew in order to seize it. Simultaneously, the towering Marauders captured prisoners and ignited the huts with fire. The battle concluded with numerous Ewoks being taken captive, others killed, and three of the four Towani members succumbing to the Marauders' attacks. Cindel Towani, the youngest member of the family, had just come back from a stroll in the forest when the raid commenced. After seeing her family's demise, the Marauders seized the girl and placed her in a wagon heading towards Terak's Keep. With the assistance of the Ewok warrior Wicket W. Warrick, Cindel Towani successfully escaped from the vehicle without being noticed.