A Cartographer's Puzzle

By: Sancero Posted on: December 30, 2006

This little set of riddles is meant to test a newcomer's grasp of geography. Pay attention!

-A Cartographer's Puzzle-

1. Nestled in a river bend,
here the grassland meets its end.
Insatiable as grizzly bears,
reeking fishmen hawk their wares.
Kittens, birds, and merchants rule
this sister of the Eastern Jewel.

2. Buried in the sands of time,
this village of the warmer climes
is not the best vacation spot,
for here the weather's always hot.
Horses, goats, and cows check in,
but when they leave, they've lost their skin.

3. Hungry weasels on the loose
have an appetite for goose.
Her citizens might decorate
the garish lawn of some estate,
but the elders wouldn't know
unless they came here long ago.

4. Far away to north and west
a quiet little village rests.
Sounds of picks and hammers ring
as children of the Mountain King
go about their simple lives
and husbands shave their bearded wives.

5. Pinewoods rake the distant sky
with knobby fingers, old and dry.
Deep within the evergreens,
creatures lurk in shade, unseen.
Among the trees a temple stands:
The God of Beasts protects this land.

6. Now the riddle's almost done.
Five are down, which leaves just one.
The puzzlemaster's done his worst,
so take a letter (just the first!)
from every answer; lay them down
to spell the name of one last town.

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Answers

1. Jaru
2. El'Jazira
3. Gorshire
4. Inbhir Ness
5. Northreach
6. Genji