BEHIND THE CHARACTERS - EPISODE 06

BEHIND THE CHARACTERS - EPISODE 06

Zeeno: The Magician Who Had Unfinished Business with the Afterlife

He can command water, fire, air, and earth, change his shape, and turn a birthday party into a supernatural disaster. Zeeno is one of the most unpredictable characters in The Seven Magnificent Dwarfs. But behind his humor and extraordinary powers lies a rather disturbing story. And to tell it through music, I chose a gospel-blues track: Water in My Hands.

The first time we meet Zeeno in the novel, he doesn't even have a body.

Well, technically he does, but he's decided to turn it into a drawing of a tiny dwarf on a sheet of paper. When Yul discovers him in the gardens of the Blackrain estate, the drawing comes to life, greets him, and immediately starts making fun of his excessive rigidity.

It's an introduction that tells us a great deal about the character. Zeeno is a magician capable of controlling the elements of nature, but he's also someone who considers humor a form of intelligence and excessive seriousness a personality defect in urgent need of correction. The fact that his target is a heavily armed cyborg colonel makes the scene even more entertaining.

Zeeno, however, has one very specific limit to his sense of humor. It's called Little Lollipop, a nickname referring rather unflatteringly to the dimensions of his male anatomy. According to legend, 127 guests at one of his birthday parties made the unfortunate mistake of singing the nickname in unison. All 127 were promptly transformed into Grooks, disgusting, foul-smelling frogs that inhabit the sewers of Gnomopolis.

A slightly excessive reaction, perhaps, but moderation has never been one of Zeeno's defining qualities.

A Magician, a Trickster, and a Mysterious Bargain

When creating Zeeno, I wanted a character whose magic wasn't merely a weapon, but an extension of his personality. Someone capable of playing with reality, reshaping it, and constantly surprising everyone around him. The traditional fantasy wizard is often a wise guardian of ancient knowledge. Zeeno prefers to use his powers with a certain theatrical flair, never passing up an opportunity to get under someone's skin.

But I also wanted that lightheartedness to conceal something genuinely unsettling.

In Gnomopolis, a peculiar story circulates about the true origin of his powers. During a confrontation between local criminals, Zeeno was supposedly killed by accident. Instead of proceeding to the usual afterlife, he found himself facing a mysterious shadowy figure who offered him a deal: return to the living world, acquire extraordinary magical abilities, and take revenge on the man who had killed him.

Nobody knows how much truth lies behind this legend. Zeeno does possess an alternate, demonic form in which he can exercise astonishing control over his surroundings. But that doesn't necessarily make him a demon in the traditional sense.

And uncertainty, naturally, is far more interesting than a definitive explanation.

Besides, if someone really did offer him a second chance at life, one has to wonder what price he paid for it.

The Smile of Someone Who Sees Beyond Appearances

Zeeno isn't simply an unpredictable magician. Within the team, he's also one of the characters most willing to challenge other people's conclusions.

When Yul becomes convinced that Johnas Blackrain is responsible for the terrifying mutations threatening the Three Kingdoms, Zeeno is among the first to question his reasoning. After all, the fact that a threat originates on someone's property doesn't necessarily mean that the owner is responsible.

It's a simple distinction, but a crucial one—and one the colonel seems determined to ignore.

Zeeno, on the other hand, has learned to distrust appearances. Perhaps because his own true nature remains so difficult to define.

He's also familiar with the political tensions running through the Three Kingdoms and suspects that much darker interests lie behind the official explanations of recent events. His humor, then, isn't merely superficial. It's also a way of viewing authority with skepticism, without being particularly impressed by military ranks or grand declarations of power.

Of course, none of this makes Zeeno a model of moral balance. He's touchy, vindictive, and perfectly capable of responding to an insult with a storm of fireballs.

A character full of contradictions, in other words.

And therefore considerably more interesting than a wizard who is simply good or evil.

Water in My Hands: A Gospel Song with the Devil Waiting at the End

When I started imagining Zeeno's song for The Blackrain Session, I pictured a preacher from the American South, one of those larger-than-life figures capable of bringing an entire congregation to its feet through the sheer power of his voice.

A preacher, however, with a few credibility issues.

That image became Water in My Hands, a song blending gospel, soul, and blues around a deliberately outrageous situation.

It hasn't rained for three months. The wells have dried up, the crops are dying, and the people are desperately praying for a miracle. Zeeno arrives, promises to bring back the water, and asks for a few silver coins, some good whiskey, and preferably a fine pair of shoes in return.

Then the show begins.

Rivers change direction, waterfalls climb toward the sky, and water obeys every movement of his hands.

I got the water in my hands. I make it rise, I make it dance.

The choir answers, the music swells, and Zeeno behaves like a genuine miracle worker. The gospel structure, with its call-and-response between soloist and choir, seemed perfect for expressing his theatrical nature and the sheer pleasure he takes in demonstrating his magical superiority.

But the real meaning of the song arrives at the very end, when our self-appointed benefactor reveals one tiny detail.

I ain't no angel. I'm a trickster.

It's a conclusion that captures much of his personality: Zeeno may perform miracles, but confusing his powers with sainthood would be a serious mistake. The music celebrates a miracle while the lyrics invite us to question the intentions of the man performing it.

And perhaps that's what I enjoy most about the character. You never quite know whether Zeeno is about to save your life, tell you a joke, or transform you into some unfortunate amphibian.

So it's probably wise to avoid commenting on his height.

And whatever you do, don't call him Little Lollipop.

Listen to Zeeno — Water in My Hands

A theatrical, irreverent, and faintly demonic gospel-blues track for the magician Zeeno, from The Blackrain Session by GNOME RECORDS.

Discover The Seven Magnificent Dwarfs on Amazon

Behind the Characters — Exploring the stories, personalities, and music of the characters from The Seven Magnificent Dwarfs.

Andrea Bigiarini