Yridians

Species Name: Yridian
Homeworld: Unknown (nomadic, decentralized species)
Physiology: Yridians are short-statured, broad-featured humanoids with pronounced facial folds, hunched posture, and adaptive metabolisms. Their physiology offers moderate resistance to toxins and environmental pollutants—likely due to generations of scavenger or subindustrial habitat exposure. They are not physically strong, but have evolved heightened memory retention and fine motor control, supporting their traditional role as information traders.

Cultural Overview:

• The Brokers of Secrets: Yridians are synonymous with information commerce. Their society revolves around collecting, storing, and selling knowledge—scientific, military, cultural, or criminal. They are the neutral librarians of the underworld and the shadow corridors of diplomacy.
• Opportunistic Neutrality: Yridians rarely take sides. Their allegiance is to trade, not ideology. This makes them widely tolerated but rarely trusted.
• Fragmented Diaspora: No central Yridian government exists. Most live as traders, informants, salvagers, or embedded spies—often without the knowledge of their hosts.
• Cultural Survivalism: Their tools are discretion, memory, flattery, and blackmail. Yridians value wit over strength and information over territory. They are often underestimated until it’s too late.

Starfleet Roles:

• Extremely rare in formal Starfleet service. Likely appear as informants, civilian contractors, or attached noncom specialists under oversight.
• A Yridian PC would almost certainly be a Federation informant-turned-agent, an amnesty case, or a hired intelligence analyst seeking asylum.
• Useful in Intelligence, Linguistics, Historical Research, or Covert Logistics.

Species Mechanics (2e-Compatible Expansion from 1e Core):

ATTRIBUTES: +1 Insight, +1 Presence, +1 Reason
TRAIT: Yridian

• Exceptional recall and auditory memory: Advantage or reduced Difficulty on Tasks involving data recall, listening comprehension, or cultural trivia.
• Physically unimpressive: +1 Difficulty on Tasks involving intimidation, brute force, or sustained physical action.
• Social ambiguity: frequently viewed as spies, blackmailers, or cowards—suffer social Complications with Security personnel, Romulans, or Klingons.
• Resistant to low-level toxins and radiation due to lifestyle adaptation.
• May carry personal data caches, micro-recorders, or verbal encryption protocols by default.

SPECIES ABILITY — INFORMATION IS POWER:
Once per scene, after observing an interaction (conversation, system use, transmission, or tactical event), you may ask the GM:

• “What’s the most useful thing I picked up here?”
  The GM must provide a concrete tactical, social, or data-driven insight, as if you had spent Momentum to Obtain Information—even if you weren’t the acting character.