Kiel Charny was a human Jedi Knight and a General in Lord Hoth's Army of Light in the Jedi's war with the Sith Brotherhood of Darkness. Earlier in his life, Kiel was romantically involved with the Force-sensitive woman, Githany. However, as the Sith grew more powerful, and their ranks filled, Githany began to show signs of flirtations with the Dark Side. Kiel was warned about Githany's actions by Jedi Knight Valenthyne Farfalla, and Farfalla's suspicions proved true when Githany left to join the Sith Brotherhood of Darkness, becoming an enemy to her former lover.

Charny fought in many battles in the war against the Sith and eventually found his way to the battlefields of Ruusan. Leading Jedi Knights such as Petja, Rajan, Saleeh, and Zor Vlahu into battle against the Sith, Charny and his company were able to defeat thousands of Sith warriors. During the time the Jedi were battling the Sith on Ruusan, Kiel learned that the Jedi scout, Torr Snapit, had crash-landed his ship after being attacked by Sith minions. Charny took his company through the forests of Ruusan out to the crash site to help Torr with any assistance or protection he might need. Unfortunately, Charny and his band arrived too late to help Torr; the Sith minions had found him and he gave his life to protect the scouts he brought to help with the war effort.

However, Charny and his men did help rescue the scouts Torr had brought that survived the crash, the youths Bug and Tomcat. When Kiel saved Tomcat and Bug from the Sith followers, he noticed that Tomcat held Torr Snapit's lightsaber, and mistakenly thought that Torr had entrusted his lightsaber to the young Tomcat. In reality however, Tomcat had stolen Torr's lightsaber as he lay dying at the bottom of a chasm after sacrificing himself to save the youths. After Kiel deposited the two youths to the recruitment camp on Ruusan, Kiel returned to the battlefields to continue the war against the Sith.