Ilselriha, Spirit of Despair

Stay not by the waters, though quiet and quaint.
If alone when light falters, do try not to faint.
Kakko has lost many to the lake's taint.
Yrun's sweet waters conceals a dark fate.

You have so much to live for.
Resist the call of despair.
Your people, we need you.
Avoid Ilselriha's snare!

Come back from the shore, we've all learned restraint.
Home and hearth we adore, stay away from that haint.
In time you'll ask for nothing more than a pint.
With the festivals of Kakko the pull will abate.

— Ilselriha's Snare, sung to people ensnared by the Spirit of Despair

Spirit of Despair

Outside of Kakko the tale of Ilselriha is nothing more than a folk legend. Thought as merely a story told, particularly to children and adolescents, to stay away from the lake at night, especially alone. However, to the townsfolk it is all too real. They tell of a terrible spirit that waits at the edge of the water, singing a forlorn song to those filled with sadness. The spirit promises them respite from their sorrow, an embrace with the peaceful waters of the lake. The people of Kakko say the spirit can change its form to get close to its victim, and can enchant them to make it seem like the water is fine. It is said that to only way to save the victim from certain death is by playing an instrument or singing to them which will shake the enchantment.

Born of Catastrophe

When the battle between Godreki and Slaemdreki ravaged the home of the Alkquan, laying waste to their city, the amalgamation of pain, hatred, sorrow, suffering, and, above all, despair, created a truly terrifying spirit. Holding all of the negative emotions from an entire people caused Ilselriha to become the Anima of Despair. Ilselriha knows no happiness and seeks to bring their suffering to those that encounter Lake Yrun. Their true form has never been gazed upon, however, the spirit was discovered in earnest by the group of priests that call the temple of Yera their home. The temple to Yera in the center of the lake acts as a spiritual countermeasure to Ilselriha, tempering the Anima Spirit's power, and allowing the people of Kakko to has a semblance of a normal life.

Divine Classification

Anima Spirit

Realm

Kakko

Church/Cult

The Illtir