Olala

Detail of poster for The Fool in the Garden of Death by Milo Mars

Give or take a few thousand years

Hatchling (Lord Arum)

Childling (Damien, Rilla, and Arum)

Halfsy, Half-half (Quanyii)

**Olala** is a teenage shape-shifter on a quest to find a home.

## Early Life

Olala once lived a very long time ago, presumably into at least young adulthood judging by the statue of her above her grave, and was buried in the Garden of Graves. Millenia later the god-like sentient being that is the Garden was able to reincarnate her, and she was found as an infant rolling in the dirt above her grave by one of the nuns, Sister Tiilei. Tillei became Olala's primary guardian, but she considered every nun a treasured family member. Olala was taught how to tend to Everdead trees, among other skills, but notably not how to read, before the beginning of her story.

## History

Olala lives in the Garden of Graves, in the Western Wastes, where the nuns cherish and educate her. They are benevolently intrigued by her shape-shifting, and discover that her cells appear to be half human and half monster. She is taught to care for Everdead trees, and preliminary use of the Thoughtstream, a deck of cards similar to a real-life tarot deck. She is curious and enthusiastic, but easily bored, making herself a monkey-like Tail to talk to.

When the convent is attacked with magic by The Kite, an outsider looking for "the changeling," Olala escapes with the help of her shapeshifting abilities and the nuns. Sister Tiilei entrusts her with the Thoughtstream, and urges her to flee east and find help. Olala does so only after receiving a promise that Sister Tiilei will live and find her.

Olala reaches jungle terrain in the east, where she observes Sir Marc and initially assumes he is The Kite, the only other man she has ever met. She evades and attacks him with a rotten mango, before giving heself bat wings and a pig snout to track him in the hope that he has imprisoned the nuns. She entangles herself in a trap of Marc's intended for a King Tyrantlizard. They have a brief argument about her true appearance and intentions, which is interrupted by the Tyrantlizard. Marc protects Olala, allowing her to free herself, and slays the beast with an invention he calls Dino-might.

It quickly becomes clear to Olala that Marc is not The Kite, and to Marc that Olala *is* a child, when she bursts into tears and he comforts her. He takes her to his camp, feeds her, and tells her stories of the Second Citadel, where he is now a journeyman knight. Marc promises to help her discover the fate of the nuns, though he cautions they are not equipped with enough information to set out immediately. Olala is pleased, but also tells her Tail that if Queen Mira really is the smartest person in the world, as Marc says, then she must meet her.

Marc receives a summons to return to the castle. Knowing Olala would not be safe accompanying him, he asks Lord Arum to care for her until he returns. It's a bad time; Rilla, one of Lord Arum's partners and Marc's best friend, wants Arum to accompany her on a scientific expedition, and Arum is quarreling with their other partner, Sir Damien. Despite this, Arum agrees eagerly, and delights in teaching Olala about the Keep. He decides to bring her on Rilla's expedition, which prompts Damien to join them. The four observe the preserved memories of Pix and David in the tower at the edge of the world. The adults fail to take Olala seriously when she stresses that humans and monsters interact cordially where she comes from, and Arum is shocked by her assertion that she is half-human.

As Rilla uses an "emotional resonator" to enhance the preserved impressions of Pix and David, Olala feels increasingly unwell. Arum and Damien initially think she is simply suffering from heightened anxiety as a result of the resonator, but the effects are more physical, interfering with her shape-shifting.

Olala is soothed by Sir Damien and her errant shapeshifting stops. She returns to The Swamp of Titan's Blooms with them but runs away when she overhears their intent to keep her there until Marc returns, instead of letting her continue her quest. She runs into Quanyii on her way out of the swamp and is terrified when she recognizes her as The Witch of the Wastes, a boogeyman-like figure from the mythology of the Western Wastes. Quanyii tells her she isn't that scary and in fact, they're more similar than she thinks. Quanyii decides to help Olala with her quest, leading her off to The Second Citadel to meet with Queen Mira.

Quanyii and Olala complete a heist to steal two keys from Sir Absolon and Sir Caroline, the Captains of the Knights of the Crown. Quanyii is surprised at Olala's poor lying skills, but also finds it cute. Sir Caroline sees through their ruse and they are forced to flee deeper into the spire, towards the Archives, Quanyii's original target. Sir Angelo corners Quanyii behind a trophy case, which forces Olala to make a deal with Jack of Shadows in order to save her. Jack spirits them both into the forbidden section of the Archives, but Quanyii warns Olala to be smart and not to trust Jack, as he is a Shadowshifter, a kind of demon that eats children. Though, Quanyii also points out that neither of them are 'children' (Olala being half-monster and 'child' being established as a term that refers solely to humans) so they might be fine.

Jack eventually attacks Olala, and Quanyii fights him in order to allow Olala to get away, which reminds her of Sister Tiilei. She insists to herself that Sister Tiilei is alive, but she is very upset. An image of a very injured Quanyii appears at the edge of the lamplight in the room she's run into, but it is only a shapeshifted Jack attempting to lure her into the darkness. He takes hold of her and starts to lick her, but is disgusted that she is a monster and not a pure human child. Even if he cannot eat her, it seems he is going to kill her, but Quanyii returns in the knick of time, having gone to get Sir Caroline's help. Sir Caroline handily executes Jack, and after a lot of whining, Quanyii hands Olala off to Sir Caroline. Caroline leads Olala away to meet with the Queen, but assures her that the Queen "hates [Olala] as much as [Caroline] does."

The Queen has Olala locked in a tower under the watchful eye of Sir Angelo, who she recognizes from her escapade with Quanyii. Olala and Angelo get to talking and decide to become masked vigilante heroes and defeat the Kite, because of course that's what happens when you lock these two in a room. They sneak out to Milltown, Olala presumably shapeshifted and hidden somewhere near or on Angelo.

Next time we meet Olala she is in some kind of dream in which the Abbess and the Sisters are still alive. It seems that the events of the last weeks were just a bad dream. But eventually she realizes that this is not true, makes her peace with Sister Tiilei and leaves that place behind.

Back in the real world, she meets Sir Caroline and teams up with her to fight the Kite. When they confront him at the Citadel they use Olala's transformation powers to trick him, when they both appear in front of him as Sir Caroline, but during their battle Olala is eventually exposed and Caroline injured. The Kite's true identity is revealed and Caroline and Olala persist. Though since Olala is not able to stay the the Citadel a team around Caroline, Angelo and Quanyii embark on a roadtrip with her.

Four years later the group assaults the stronghold of Sir Pelinore, a golden age knight known for hoarding magical items. He isolates Olala from the group and forces her to look into the dangerous Truesight Crystal, but as she had previously saved the Truesight Monocular, she is safe. She receives a vision of a city inhabited mostly by monsters, with some humans, and within it has a conversation with a human book theif who sees her tail and does not scream. She is then hurtled back to her body with a newfound conviction to travel into the Wayward East, where she believes this city to be located, so much so that she would lie to her guardian Caroline after she shared her childhood story with her just for the chance to go.

## Personality

Olala is clever and resourceful, good-humored but easily bored. She sometimes suffers from anxiety, which Sister Tiilei refers to as her mind "run[ning] in tight circles."

As a teenager Caroline's influence shines through her. She is much more focused, as well as capable of deception and complex strategy. She has also developed the shadow of a mean streak, shown when she tricks and taunts Ingenue while she's mining him for information.

## Abilities

Olala has extensive shape-changing abilities. She has been taught the basics of using the Thoughtstream, as well as the care of Everdead trees, by the nuns in the Garden of Graves. Sir Angelo has has taught her how to read, and claims that she has shown him the art in it.

## Relationships

### Sister Tiilei

Olala's primary guardian and best friend throughout her life. Sister Tiilei would and did give her life for Olala's.

### Sir Marc

Sir Marc finds Olala while rounding the border of The Western Wastes looking for monsters to slay. He captures her and debates himself a while deciding whether she is a real child or a monster pretending to be a child to manipulate him. He lands on child and decides to take her in and keep her safe. He is still unsure of Olala's monster status, and though she is decidedly a child either way, he does not think she would be safe or accepted in The Second Citadel. When he is called to duty as a Knight by Queen Mira he leaves Olala in the care of his sister Rilla's boyfriend Lord Arum, a monster.

### Lord Arum, Sir Damien, and Amaryllis of Exile

They are tasked with taking care of Olala while Marc is busy. Especially Lord Arum seems to be fond of her and seems to see a kindred spirit in her. Olala likes their company but becomes very stressed as they fight about their relationship problems. They overcome their differences in order to create a better environment for Olala and resolve to dedicate themselves to taking care of her for as long as she needs. Olala overhears this conversation and, though she finds it very kind, is determined to go out and help her Sisters, not stay in one place and wait. She runs away while the three of them are still talking.

### Quanyii

Olala was told stories about Quanyii, the Witch of the Wastes, throughout her youth as a sort of boogeyman cautionary tale, and so when they meet, Olala is initially afraid. It does not help when Quanyii reveals he carries bones in his bag, something quite disturbing for a child who has been taught that remains deserve the utmost respect. However, after spending more time together Olala begins to trust Quanyii. When Quanyii is fighting Jack of Shadows to give Olala time to run away, Olala is reminded of Sister Tiilei's sacrifice, and it is the first time she allows her self to think of that final interaction as such.

### Sir Angelo

Angelo is assigned by Queen Mira to guard Olala in her tower room. They quickly become friendly with each other, and Angelo agrees to train her as his "side-kicker." They quickly talk about their emotions. When Angelo takes a second trip to attempt to aid Milltown and see Ale, Olala secretly follows and attacks the Kite, saving his life but gravely endangering her own.

### Sir Caroline

Olala is initially scared of Sir Caroline, who blames her for the Kite's attack on Milltown and sees her as a threat to the Second Citadel, as the fall of the First Citadel was heralded by a monster-human hybrid who matched her description almost exactly. Sir Caroline treats Olala coldly when they first meet, but by their second meeting has realized how much her position has corrupted her and softens slightly to the child. They work together to get to Queen Mira's inner chambers and stop the Kite from killing her. Olala stops Sir Caroline from killing the Kite while he is unconscious, which gives him the opportunity to teleport away and get to Mira. The two of them go deeper into the secret chambers to defend the Queen directly, and during the ensuing fight the Kite uses the spirit of a tengu to bring Sir Caroline to death's door, which reminds Olala unbearably of her sisters' sacrifices. When begging Queen Mira to stop the Kite from killing Sir Caroline, she implies that she thinks of Caroline like one of her sisters. Olala brings forth her departed sisters' souls in defense of Sir Caroline, and this is what allows her to finally defeat the Kite, filling the Soulkeeper Amulet with so many souls it explodes and releases all of the souls previously enslaved, freeing them to torture their former master ad infinitum.

After the conflict with the Kite has passed, Olala decides to stay with Caroline and follow her, Quanyii, Gawain, Sir Angelo, and Ale out of The Northern Wilds.

Four years later, Caroline is the primary caregiver to a teenage Olala. The two are shown bickering frequently at this age, but the love and regard they hold for each other is also clear.

## Episode Appearances

* Second Citadel - The Fool in the Garden of Death (Part 2)
* Second Citadel - The Lovers of the Fallen Tower (Part 1)
* Second Citadel - The Lovers of the Fallen Tower (Part 2)
* Second Citadel - The Devil in the Sunlight (Part 1)
* Second Citadel - The Devil in the Sunlight (Part 2)
* Second Citadel - The Strong Arm of Justice (Part 1)
* Second Citadel - The Strong Arm of Justice (Part 2)
* Second Citadel - Judgment of the Empire (Part 1)
* Second Citadel - Judgment of the Empire (Part 2)

Season 4* Second Citadel - The Perils of Pellinore (Part 1)
* [[Second Citadel - The Perils of Pellinore (Part 2)]]

## Trivia

* Olala shares a voice actress with Pix, one half of the only half-monster half-human couple we've seen on the show

## References

1. ↑ The Perils of Pellinore Script
2. ↑ Second Citadel - The Fool in the Garden of Death (Part 1)