Difference between revisions of "Xan"

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The '''xan''', {{monsym|xan}}, is a [[monster]] in [[NetHack]]. Xans are capable of [[flight]], and their [[corpse]] is poisonous to eat.
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A '''xan''', {{monsym|xan}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in ''[[NetHack]]''. Xans are a type of [[mythical insect]] that are capable of [[flight]] and have [[poison resistance]]. They possess a unique sting attack that targets your legs, [[Wounded legs|wounding them]] if the attack succeeds.
  
It has a unique attack that targets your legs, resulting in [[wounded legs]] if the attack succeeds. A [[Cancellation|canceled]] xan cannot injure your legs, and instead "nuzzles" them.
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Xan [[corpse]]s are [[poisonous]] to eat, but eating their corpse or [[tin]] has a 47% chance of conveying poison resistance.
  
 
==Strategy==
 
==Strategy==
Boots can protect your legs from the xan's attacks - worn [[iron shoes]] or [[low boots]] protect you 40% of the time, and any other boots protect you 80% of the time.{{refsrc|mhitu.c|1219|version=NetHack 3.6.6}} As indicated above, cancelling a xan can render it harmless.
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Boots can protect your legs from the xan's attacks - worn [[iron shoes]] or [[low boots]] protect you 40% of the time, and any other boots protect you 80% of the time.{{refsrc|mhitu.c|1219|version=NetHack 3.6.7}} [[Cancellation|Cancelling]] a xan prevents its sting from damaging your legs.{{refsrc|mhitu.c|1214|version=NetHack 3.6.7|name="nuz"}}
  
The xan's low [[AC]] can make it hard to hit for some characters, but its low damage output prevents it from being too large a threat.  Having an extra 100 [[aum]] of carry capacity will render the wounded legs effect mostly harmless.
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==History==
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The xan first appears in [[Hack 1.0]].
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In [[NetHack 3.6.2]] and earlier versions, including variants based on these versions, [[riding]], flying, or [[levitation]] would prevent a xan from wounding your legs, despite xans possessing flight; this was fixed in [[NetHack 3.6.3]] via {{commit|564dcd657600f4e3f4cfa55f1a6cdee6005c4234|commit 564dcd6}}.
  
Note that the xan's corpse provides a fairly substantial amount of nutrition (300), and also has a good chance of conveying [[poison resistance]]. It is unfortunately also poisonous, so if you don't already have that resistance, make sure you have a way to reverse the stat loss.
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==Origin==
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{{wikipedia|Popol Vuh}}
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The xan is a creature based on a tale from the ''[[wikipedia:Popol Vuh|Popol Vuh]]'', a text recounting the mythology and history of the [[wikipedia:Kʼicheʼ people|Kʼicheʼ people]] - the Kʼicheʼ inhabit Guatemala as well as the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, along with areas of Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. ''Popol Vuh'' is translated as "Book of the Community" or "Book of Counsel", and literally means "Book that pertains to the mat": a woven mat was used as a royal throne in ancient Kʼicheʼ society and symbolised the unity of the community; the document is one of many that survived Spanish conquest. Among its many tales are the exploits of Hunahpu and Xbalanque, known as [[Wikipedia:Maya Hero Twins|the Maya Hero Twins]].
  
==History==
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The Hero Twins were conceived when Xquic, one of the daughters of the Lords of the Mayan underworld [[Wikipedia:Xibalba|Xibalba]], spoke with Hun-Hunahpu's severed head: he spat upon the maiden's hand, causing them to be conceived in her womb. The twins come across the [[Wikipedia:Mesoamerican ballgame|ballgame]] equipment of Hun-Hunahpu and his brother Vucub-Hunahpu, who had disturbed the Lords of Xibalba with the noise they made playing on the court; the Lords summoned the two men to play ball in their own court, using it as a pretext to subject the pair to many treacherous trials - the duo eventually failed and were executed.
Before [[NetHack 3.6.3]], [[riding]], flying, or [[levitation|levitating]] would prevent a xan from wounding your legs. As xans themselves fly, this was considered a [[bug]] and fixed.
 
  
==Mythology==
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The Hero Twins began to play ball in the court and once again disturb the Lords of Xibalba, who send summons to the boys to come to Xibalba and play in their court. Their grandmother, who had hidden the ballgame equipment fearing the twins would suffer the same fate, relayed the message as indirectly as possible; despite her best efforts, the boys received the message and set off to Xibalba. Fortunately, the younger twins did not fall victim to the same tricks, and sent the mosquito - translated as "xan", as shown in the excerpt that provides the [[encyclopedia]] entry - ahead to scout for them. The mosquito stung the Lords of Xibalba to uncover the real ones and learn their names, allowing the twins to address and identify them by name when they arrived at Xibalba, and would proceed to outwit the Lords and eventually bring about Xibalba's downfall.
The xan is based on a mythical Mayan mosquito from [[wikipedia:Popol Vuh|Popol Vuh]], a Mayan book.
 
  
 
==Encyclopedia entry==
 
==Encyclopedia entry==
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==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
 
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{{nethack-367}}
{{nethack-366}}
 
 
[[Category:Monsters]]
 
[[Category:Monsters]]

Revision as of 21:30, 29 August 2023

A xan, x, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. Xans are a type of mythical insect that are capable of flight and have poison resistance. They possess a unique sting attack that targets your legs, wounding them if the attack succeeds.

Xan corpses are poisonous to eat, but eating their corpse or tin has a 47% chance of conveying poison resistance.

Strategy

Boots can protect your legs from the xan's attacks - worn iron shoes or low boots protect you 40% of the time, and any other boots protect you 80% of the time.[1] Cancelling a xan prevents its sting from damaging your legs.[2]

History

The xan first appears in Hack 1.0.

In NetHack 3.6.2 and earlier versions, including variants based on these versions, riding, flying, or levitation would prevent a xan from wounding your legs, despite xans possessing flight; this was fixed in NetHack 3.6.3 via commit 564dcd6.

Origin

The xan is a creature based on a tale from the Popol Vuh, a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people - the Kʼicheʼ inhabit Guatemala as well as the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, along with areas of Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Popol Vuh is translated as "Book of the Community" or "Book of Counsel", and literally means "Book that pertains to the mat": a woven mat was used as a royal throne in ancient Kʼicheʼ society and symbolised the unity of the community; the document is one of many that survived Spanish conquest. Among its many tales are the exploits of Hunahpu and Xbalanque, known as the Maya Hero Twins.

The Hero Twins were conceived when Xquic, one of the daughters of the Lords of the Mayan underworld Xibalba, spoke with Hun-Hunahpu's severed head: he spat upon the maiden's hand, causing them to be conceived in her womb. The twins come across the ballgame equipment of Hun-Hunahpu and his brother Vucub-Hunahpu, who had disturbed the Lords of Xibalba with the noise they made playing on the court; the Lords summoned the two men to play ball in their own court, using it as a pretext to subject the pair to many treacherous trials - the duo eventually failed and were executed.

The Hero Twins began to play ball in the court and once again disturb the Lords of Xibalba, who send summons to the boys to come to Xibalba and play in their court. Their grandmother, who had hidden the ballgame equipment fearing the twins would suffer the same fate, relayed the message as indirectly as possible; despite her best efforts, the boys received the message and set off to Xibalba. Fortunately, the younger twins did not fall victim to the same tricks, and sent the mosquito - translated as "xan", as shown in the excerpt that provides the encyclopedia entry - ahead to scout for them. The mosquito stung the Lords of Xibalba to uncover the real ones and learn their names, allowing the twins to address and identify them by name when they arrived at Xibalba, and would proceed to outwit the Lords and eventually bring about Xibalba's downfall.

Encyclopedia entry

They sent their friend the mosquito [xan] ahead of them to find out what lay ahead. "Since you are the one who sucks the blood of men walking along paths," they told the mosquito, "go and sting the men of Xibalba." The mosquito flew down the dark road to the Underworld. Entering the house of the Lords of Death, he stung the first person that he saw...
 
The mosquito stung this man as well, and when he yelled, the man next to him asked, "Gathered Blood, what's wrong?" So he flew along the row stinging all the seated men until he knew the names of all twelve.

[ Popul Vuh, as translated by Ralph Nelson ]

References