A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Sibling Dex is a monk of Allalae, the God of Small Comforts, who is symbolized by a summer bear. Dex is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. The title “Sibling” denotes Dex’s religious profession.

At the start of the story, Dex is a garden monk working in an inner-city monastery. They feel restless despite their comfortable life, and decide to become a tea monk. This profession, undertaken by monks of Allalae, involves giving tea to distressed people, who approach the recognizable wagons of the tea monks to talk about problems or challenges in their lives. The sympathetic tea monk listens and sometimes offers advice, and then provides a cup of tea, which they choose based on the complaints of the person.

Dex’s character journey revolves around The Search for Meaning. Initially, Sibling Dex struggles in their work as a tea monk, feeling underqualified and underprepared. They learn by doing, and eventually, after two years, they become (according to a grateful client) “the best tea monk in Panga” (36). Despite their obvious skill in their chosen trade, Dex’s feeling of restless dissatisfaction returns. They become fixated on the idea of falling asleep listening to