The Fountain of Obligation stood in the middle of the town square of Uzda. Originally it was erected during the Later Period as a dutiful expression of loyalty to the Fifth Army. It was said that Erikoinen Kervovasdottir had stood on the spot and declared the ground void of life; the logic went that if the ground was barren, they might as well build a fountain there. (It is unlikey that Erikoinen Kervovasdottir was ever in the region, however.) It featured a replica of the mountain of Leontalos, and water spewed from the top, volcano-style. The cement palace was never completed, and hence the devotional symbolism never properly erected.

In the style of the day, Uzdamalians would heave a deep sigh of regret at their own procrastination, and make mental notes to get back to working on the miniture palace, whenever they walked by the statue, which was at least functional. Over time, these sighs became culturally codified, and the town square acquired a heaving, breathy ambience. Of sorts.

The sense of obligation grew, eclipsing the original procrastination of building the palace replica. Incremental repairs were abandoned. The fountain was not refilled when the water evaporated, and began to rely on rain water for continued operations. When the water level was low, the fountain itself wheezed, thus eerily echoing the townsquare.

When the montain of Leontalos cracked down the center, the people took notice. They rushed in with heavy cement blocks to lean them against the mountain, thus compressing the crack. They made great plans to caulk and recast the whole mountain. But as the adrenaline wore off, procrastination once again took hold, and the cement blocks became permanent fixtures in the fountain.

Once held in this cement vice, the mountain ceased cracking. Over time, however, it became more and more porous. The water would ooze through the stone, giving it a weeping appearance. Gradually it began to mold, and then grow mossy. The townspeople celebrated the bright moss, as a serendipitous return to nature for their eyesore. This coincided with the end of the Later Period, and cultural shift towards optimism and upbeatness.

During the last period, the Fountain of Obligation became overrun with cats. Old women snuck off in the middle of the night to put milk and kibble in the center of the fountain, and cats swarmed all over it. By this time, the great Water Droughts had begun, and the fountain was permanently retired from any hydro-related purposes.

For further reading, see:

Fifth Army

Erikoinen Kervovasdottir

Water Droughts