Shipwright's Shrine

Shrine
Shipwright's Shrine
Japanese	南東の島のほこら
Romaji	Minami no higashi no hokora
Game	Dragon Quest II; Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake
Old localization	None

The Shipwright's Shrine is a small shrine located just off the coast of Zahan in the southern seas of Greater Alefgard.

Appearances

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

The shrine goes unnamed in older versions of the title. It is connected to Castle Midenhall through the southwestern teleportal, and its purpose is to inform the player of how the mysterious gateways work; it is also a teaser for players regarding the scope of the adventure that is about to unfold. The game is programmed so that only monsters found near Midenhall will appear on the island, preventing players from being wiped out in unfair battles.

Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake

The shrine is given a proper name in this version, and now ties into the game's plot in addition to serving as an early-game teaser like before. The shrine has several items that will be useful at the beginning of the quest, namely the turban helmet.

The Shipwright's Shrine is used by the people of Zahan to store the pearl earring that was given to one of their fisherman many decades ago by a mermaid, along with a set of sacred claws; these items symbolically represent the village's desire to sever all ties with the mermaids, whom they fear as man-eaters out of superstition.

The Scions of Erdrick are informed of this symbolic gesture by the high-ranking fisherman Sylvester, who asks the group to deliver the pearl earring to the mermaids Elaine and Melinda on Gaggle Rock as his token of gratitude for the duo saving the lives of himself and his fellow fishermen when they were attacked by monsters. Sylvester also uses his authority to bestow the sacred claws to the children heroes as the reward for their trouble, knowing the set would go to better use in their possession and wanting to be rid of their symbolism now that he has witnessed first-hand that the old superstitious were totally unfounded. When the Scions arrive to retrieve the bauble, they find a pair of monsters from the Children of Hargon debating whether it is one of the five sacred sigils. The children scold the pair for attempting to take what is not their's and make short work of them once they resort to violence.

The Shipwright's Shrine is also shown during the Queen of the Mermaids' flashback to her youth, being the island she escorted a near-death fisherman she encountered to. The pearl earring was none other than her own.