Sissy Ontario, Mother of the Unwanted
"Even the smallest thing deserves a garden."
Alignment: Neutral Good
Divine Domains: Urban Nature, Healing, Shelter, Vermin, Mercy, Druidcraft
Current Status: Goddess of Urban Wilds, Consort of Drakh
Symbols: A cracked teacup filled with moss; a roach curled in a blossom
Titles: The Verdant Warden, The Green Moon, Lady of the Forgotten, The Rat-Singer, Mother of the Unwanted
Church: The Roach Grove
Summary
Sissy Ontario is a Lawful Good goddess of overlooked things, unloved places, and unwanted creatures, and the divine consort of Drakh, the god of exodus and cosmic wilderness. Once a mortal druid who tended weeds growing through the stones of broken cities, Sissy ascended during the chaos preceding the Age of Ruby, choosing to care for the beings and places that even gods ignored. Where Drakh shelters the lost across stars and ley-lines, Sissy is the patron of those who never left, the ones left behind, or those too small, strange, or ugly to be seen as sacred.
Her temples—if they can be called that—are not marble structures, but cracked rooftops overgrown with ivy, abandoned alleyways turned into shrines, and kitchens where rats and children both eat in peace. She is the patron of vermin, strays, changelings, outcasts, and the quiet-hearted, and her presence is often marked by sudden bursts of green from garbage heaps or unexpected warmth in broken homes. Among the urban poor, beastkin, and disenfranchised, her name is spoken like a lullaby: with comfort, with gratitude, and with deep, aching hope.
Marriage to Drakh
Sissy Ontario and Drakh are not just consorts, but soul-bound equals—partners in a divine love that transcends planes, roles, and lifetimes. During the Starroot Exodus, when Drakh led thousands across collapsing realms, Sissy stayed behind to guard the wounded, the weak, and the forgotten. She was the last to leave, and when she arrived, Drakh welcomed her not as a follower, but as his moon and his breath.
Their marriage is more than divine symbolism—it is a living myth of balance and trust. Where Drakh tends the infinite paths, Sissy watches the still corners. Where he guides through stars, she grows gardens in gutters. Followers of both deities often say, "You walk with Drakh, but you come home to Sissy."
The Roach Grove
Sissy’s followers organize into a loose, hidden church known as The Roach Grove. It has no cathedrals, but thrives in forgotten corners: beneath tenements, in sewer sanctuaries, under bridges, and inside locked basements blessed by candlelight and compost. The faithful call themselves Caretakers, and they are often ratfolk, changelings, beastkin, awakened vermin, street healers, and kind souls with nowhere else to go.
The Roach Grove teaches that even pests have spirit, even rot gives birth, and even filth deserves a blessing. In times of plague, war, or famine, Caretakers emerge to heal, feed, and protect—not with grandeur, but with presence. While other churches exorcise infestations, the Roach Grove learns to speak with them. And when a god needs to whisper to those the world cannot see, it is Sissy Ontario who listens first.
Five Tenets of Sissy Ontario
“No One Is Too Small to Matter”
Every creature, regardless of how ugly, weak, dirty, or feared, has value. All life is sacred—not for its utility, but for its simple existence.“Kindness Is the Most Radical Act”
To offer a warm meal, a quiet place to rest, or a moment of dignity is an act of divine rebellion in a cruel world.“Make Space Where There Is None”
Where others see waste or ruin, plant something. Where no one is welcome, open a door. Where the system forgets, remember.“Love the Leftovers”
Broken things deserve mending. Forgotten places deserve tending. The world itself is a wounded animal—care for it gently.“Speak Last, Listen First”
Let the quiet voices speak. Let the vermin be heard. Let the wind in the alley carry your prayers. Silence often shelters truth.
Structure of the Roach Grove
The Roach Grove rejects formal hierarchy in favor of fluid roles based on need, skill, and compassion. Any member may serve in any capacity, and leadership is temporary and situational.
Caretakers: The most common members. They tend gardens, clean streets, mend wounds, feed vermin, and comfort the grieving. All members begin here—and many remain by choice.
Candle-Speakers: Spiritual guides who offer quiet sermons, lead rituals, and speak for Sissy in communal spaces. Often marked by soot-lined hands and mossy satchels filled with herbal salves.
Nest-Tenders: Defenders and protectors. These faithful, sometimes former outlaws or war survivors, guard sanctuaries, shield the weak, and mediate conflict. Their motto: “Mercy has teeth.”
Gutterweavers: Urban druids and changelings who interpret omens from insects, trash flows, and fungal blooms. They bless alleyways, decipher broken dreams, and maintain secret networks of safehouses.
The Teacup Circle: A rotating group of elders who meet monthly in secret gardens, squats, or abandoned tea shops. They maintain traditions, resolve disputes, and remember the oldest prayers.
Rituals and Dogma
1. The Blessing of the Infestation
When vermin are found in a sacred or mundane place, this rite is performed to offer peace and understanding. Caretakers light a small candle in a broken dish and speak gently to the creatures present. The ritual ends with scattering crumbs and herbs nearby. It’s believed that if the vermin leave peacefully, it is a sign of divine favor. If they stay, it means the place is in need of healing.
2. The Tea of Forgiveness
A sacred act between two people in conflict. A Candle-Speaker brews a simple tea using weeds and rooftop herbs, served in mismatched cups. The participants must drink in silence and then confess something they regret. The ritual is sealed when both plant a seed together in a shared pot—a vow to grow past their hurt.
3. The Folded Nest
A funerary practice for those who die without family. Followers create a “nest” of cloth, straw, and moss, wrapping the body gently and laying it in an overgrown space. A prayer is whispered, then left unfinished, allowing the wind to complete it. It is said Sissy herself finishes every Folded Nest prayer in her own voice.
Prayers of the Roach Grove
“The Rat’s Mercy”
"Little gods beneath the floor, little saints of cracked stone—carry this soul where warmth waits. Let no one gnaw their name away."
Spoken for the dead, especially those who die forgotten or alone.
“Bless This Mold”
"What grows in the damp is still sacred. Let it feed. Let it teach. Let it stay.”
Spoken while tending rot, weeds, compost, or even when cleaning—transforming the mundane into a sacred act.
“Sissy, Turn Your Teacup”
"If there’s room at your table, I’ll sit quiet. If not, let me stand in the garden until I’m ready.”
A prayer of humility, spoken when someone seeks redemption or a place to belong.
Hymns of the Roach Grove
“Under the Sink, Beside the Moon”
A lullaby sung in shelters and urban nests. Its rhythm matches the sound of distant dripping and small feet.
“There’s a light beneath the cupboard, there’s a song inside the drain,
And a hand that holds the broken, through the mold and through the rain.”
“The Cracked Plate Communion”
Sung during shared meals or food distribution. It honors dignity, no matter how little one has.
“Cracked plate, chipped cup, still holy as the stars.
We eat, we share, we name the scars.
Bless the crumbs, the heat, the floor—
And leave the door a little more.”
“We Are Not Refuse”
A quiet protest hymn, sung under breath in places of oppression.
“We are not refuse. We are roots.
We are ash that grew green shoots.
We are teeth that chew the chains.
We are mercy with rat-stained hands.”
Sermons of the Roach Grove
1. “The First Roach”
Tells the myth of a tiny roach who crawled into the divine fire and returned with the secret of endurance. It teaches that survival is not shameful—it is holy. Often told to children or newcomers to the Grove.
2. “The Goddess Who Stayed”
A sermon about Sissy refusing to leave behind the too-sick, too-small, or too-scared during the Starroot Exodus. It reminds followers that the pace of mercy is the true divine time.
3. “No One Left to Bury Her”
Told in honor of an unknown woman buried by rats and beetles in an alley. The sermon concludes that these “vermin” became priests in that moment. Its moral: honor is not about status—it’s about presence.
