Fountain of Athis

Millenia ago Athis, the first Mage-Pharaoh, created the magical wellspring which would become known as the Fountain of Athis. An endless fountain of pure water, it flowed toward the sea and gave life to the desert as trees and animals spread and reclaimed the sands. For over four thousand years, the Fountain gave life to the heartland of the Raurin Empire.
Eventually the pharaoh Amun-Re overburdened his people and they rose up against him. He threatened them with a death-curse; that the Fountain would cease to flow if he was killed. They slew him anyway, and the curse came true.
When the Fountain ceased to flow, the desert reclaimed the once-fertile land within a handful of years, as the other water sources were insufficient to keep the land arable. The population were forced to flee, gutting the Raurin Empire, which collapsed soon after. All that remains is the stone bowl of the fountain, dry and choked with sand.