Ols are shapeshifting creatures who can take form of almost anything. They are created by the evil Shadow Lord in The Factory in the Shadowlands. Ols' real form are ghastly, flickering white flames like smoke, or a boiling raising mass with holes for eyes (which sometimes is described as glowing red) a toothless mouth, and long arms with strangling hands, and a spike on its head like a scary big flame. Ols always have the black mark of the Shadow Lord on its body then they are disguised, whatever shape it takes it will be located somewhere on its body, it can be in different sizes like on Marie and Ida it was a little mark on their chin. They always try to hide it with clothes or along with normal marks. To defeat an Ol, one must pierce their heart which are located on the right side instead of the left, as humans got. When they die, they melt into a mass of white and parts of the things and peoples they have taken form of is being revealed in the white mess. Ols are said to have a solid strangling grip and very cold skin. There are three types or grades of Ols, they are listed below. Lower grade Ols always come in pairs.
Kinds of Ols
- Grade 1 Ols:
Can take the shape of living people they have seen, but are very cold, cannot eat or drink, have the mark easy to see, and must take a break from the shape every three days. When they take a break they falter and shimmer. This is called "The Tremor". The Tremor makes Grade 1 Ols easy to recognize, as does their disguising as identical twins.
- Grade 2 Ols:
Cunning and difficult to recognize. They can successfully pretend to eat and drink, make their skin feel warm, hide the mark very well, and can quickly go through the Tremor and last longer without taking a break.
- Grade 3 Ols:
Can take the shape of non-living things as well as living and hold the disguise a very long time without a break. Grade 3 Ols are extremely difficult to recognize, as they almost always are warm, eat and drink, doesn't change often, and hide the mark almost at an unrecognizable state. It is also important to note that grade 3 Ols do not go through the tremor at all, making them far more difficult to detect.
The Tremor
The Tremor is the process that Ols go trough then they had held a shape for three days. At the third day they emerge from their disguise, disguise, turns white, shaking a bit, and after three seconds they regain the control once again.
Known Ols
- Marie and Ida
- Dain
- Prandine
- Fallow
- The fat lady in pink and her thin dancing partner (fake Barda) on the River Queen
- The two fruit-sellers (only appearing in The Deltora Book of Monsters, and seen and discovered by Josef)