Mermaid's Pendant
| Mermaid's Pendant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Collection |
| Location | Old Mariner for 5,000g |
The Mermaid's Pendant is how a proposal is made in Stardew Valley. The Old Mariner sells it on the beach, but only in the rain, and only to a farmer who has already courted somebody properly and built a house with room for two. Handing the pendant to a marriage candidate is the proposal itself, and the wedding follows three days later with the whole town turning out. He calls the thing an old amulet and asks a round five thousand gold for it, which is modest next to the cost of the courtship that has to come first.
Overview
Three things have to be in place before he will part with it. The candidate has to be at ten hearts of friendship, which is only possible after a Bouquet has been given at eight hearts to turn the friendship into a relationship. The farmhouse needs its first upgrade finished, the one that adds the kitchen and the extra room. And five thousand gold has to be in the purse on the day. Mayor Lewis sends a letter hinting at the pendant once the hearts are there, which is the game's way of saying the rest is now possible.
Finding the Mariner is its own small errand. He stands on the stretch of beach past the broken bridge, which takes three hundred pieces of wood to repair before anyone can walk out there. He keeps daytime hours and appears only when it is raining, so a sunny week means waiting. Winter brings no rain of its own, and a Rain Totem is the way around that. The one night he never appears is the Night Market, however hard it is pouring.
The proposal itself is simple. The pendant goes to the chosen candidate like any other gift, and they accept and start planning. The ceremony is held three days later in the town square, the villagers attend, and the spouse moves onto the farm afterwards with their own room added to the house.
The Mariner keeps a close eye on circumstances. A farmer who is already married, or who has taken Krobus in as a housemate, will still find him on the beach but will not be sold anything. A farmer who is engaged can buy a second pendant, although offering it to anybody produces a flat refusal and a comment on their judgement. After a divorce, which is arranged through the book in Mayor Lewis's house for a painful sum, the Mariner is willing to trade again and the new pendant can go to anyone.
Notes
The pendant cannot be sold at any counter, so a spare simply sits in the backpack until it is given away.
Planning around the weather saves a lot of frustration. The forecast on the television the night before is the only warning of rain, so the sensible order is to repair the bridge, earn the ten hearts and finish the house upgrade, then keep five thousand gold spare and watch the news until the clouds arrive.
All Collections
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
