The Kari are the sole sapient species native to the planet Karideph. The Kari are small insectoids, with black exoskeletons covering most of their bodies. They walk on two powerful legs, with two small arm-like appendages used to manipulate objects. Due to the huge, city-like structures which dominate the surface of the planet, many Kari live in a vast system of underground tunnels, and have never seen the light of the planet's primary star. Much of their effort is spent growing food, as the population of Karideph is nearly 100 billion Kari.
The Kari are also adept at creating small appliances and machines, which they export in exchange for food. The basic societal element of the Kari is the Hatch, which describes a family of 20 to 30 individuals. It is the Hatches, not the Kari themselves, that form the individual personalities of Karideph, as the Kari have a true hive society. As a whole, the Karidephians have limited intelligence, but they have developed a system of songs that maintain histories and lessons from generation to generation. Bards are among the most important of the Kari, and each Hatch has at least one singer to preserve their history and to communicate with other Hatches.
The Empire banned the Kari from participating in - or even developing - space travel, fearing that their impressive birthrate would allow the Kari to quickly overrun human society.