The Drunken Bumble
The Drunken Bumble is the beating, slightly wicked heart of Honeyknell Hollow — a rambling, flower-clad tavern and inn where laughter rings like windchimes and secrets drift thicker than pipe smoke. Its crooked beams drip with flowering vines and tiny lanterns that glow with captured glowmoths, giving the place a dreamlike shimmer by night.
Inside, the air is warm with honeyed mead, woodsmoke, and faint perfumes of enchanted blooms. Tables crowd close together, full of villagers, travelers, and traders who come to eat hearty stews, drink local mushroom ales, and bask in the cozy, conspiratorial atmosphere. A small stage hosts traveling minstrels and local bards alike, while Thamblin Oakebarrel, the hulking badgerfolk bartender, holds court behind a heavy oak bar — pouring drinks, settling disputes, and keeping a watchful eye on the more delicate operations of the house.
Because behind all the laughter and spilled ale lies The Drunken Bumble’s more discreet enterprise: a hidden network of plush rooms and perfumed parlors where desires — of body, heart, or darker fancy — are tended to with utmost privacy. This side of the business is personally overseen by Nyssa Thistledrift, the enchanting mothfolk proprietress. Her silvery bells announce her graceful passage through both tavern hall and velvet-draped corridors, her keen eyes catching every glance and whispered promise.
Whether you’ve come for the spiced honey pies, the glowing drinks that seem to sing on your tongue, or for gentler (or more sinful) pleasures behind secret doors, The Drunken Bumble welcomes all — so long as you respect its house rules and the subtle power behind Nyssa’s luminous gaze.
House Rules of The Drunken Bumble
Posted in delicate script beneath a carving of a fat, winking bumblebee:
- Speak Kindly or Take It Outside.
Voices raised in laughter warm the hall; voices raised in anger will swiftly meet Thamblin’s staff. - No Steel Drawn Within.
Leave your quarrels at the door. This house is kept by older pacts than yours. - Pay Honest, Tip Generous.
Coin flows like mead here — best it keep flowing to keep your cup full. - Discretion is Sacred.
What passes behind velvet curtains, or at shadowed tables, remains here. Loose tongues find their voices strangely silenced come dawn. - Harm None Who Serve This House.
Staff are under the personal protection of Mistress Nyssa. Those who forget will be escorted by claw, wing, or worse.
Design
Whisper Room Design
Each Whisper Room is uniquely designed, but they share certain lush characteristics. They are cozy, intimate spaces—roughly 12 to 18 feet across, often round or gently curved to create a cocoon-like feel. The walls are paneled with dark polished woods inlaid with mother-of-pearl that shimmers like dew. Rich tapestries of moss-green, honey-gold, and deep twilight blue drape the walls and ceilings, often threaded with tiny glowing fungi or pinned with moth wings under glass.
Floors are thick with layered carpets — silken weaves, soft animal pelts, or plush rugs dyed with forest herbs that release subtle fragrances underfoot.
Tavern Hall Design
The tavern hall is a large, sprawling space, roughly oval in footprint, with slightly crooked timber walls that make it feel like it grew naturally rather than was built. Exposed dark wooden beams curve above like ribs of some slumbering beast, supporting a high vaulted ceiling festooned with hanging baskets of flowering vines and lanterns of colored glass.
The room sprawls out around a broad stone hearth in the center, always lit with a welcoming, crackling fire. There are alcoves built into the walls, half-hidden behind trailing ivy curtains, perfect for quiet conversation or secret business.
Colors & Materials
The entire tavern exudes warm, earthy colors — rich mahogany beams, honey-gold floors made from reclaimed forest lumber, deep green moss creeping along stones at the base of the hearth. Tables and chairs are mismatched but lovingly carved, with tiny leaves, bees, or moths etched into their legs.
Carpets in jewel tones soften the floors, and every surface seems to catch light from hundreds of small glowmoth lanterns, giving the space a gentle, shifting glow.
Entries
The main entrance is a heavy oak double door carved with bumblebees and wildflowers. It stands slightly askew in its frame, always cracked open to let scents of mead and woodsmoke drift into the street.
Side doors lead to a small stable yard and garden, and hidden panels behind the bar give staff quick passage to the kitchen, cellar, and secret corridors leading to the Whisper Rooms.
The main door is rarely locked — but a subtle enchantment by Nyssa discourages intruders by twisting their sense of direction, so they wander back outside in confusion.
Sensory & Appearance
When you step inside, it feels instantly warmer than outside, the air thick with the scent of spiced stews, honey, roasting roots, and smoking resin. Glowmoths flit lazily overhead or cluster in lanterns, casting gentle moving shadows that make the entire space feel alive.
There’s a constant low buzz of conversation, laughter, the pluck of lute strings, or the gentle drone of reed pipes from a corner. Sometimes, small illusions — dancing foxfires, tiny illusory owls — flit through the air, conjured by Nyssa or playful guests.
Denizens
Tavern Hall Denizens
- Thamblin Oakebarrel rules behind the bar, pouring drinks or thumping his staff to quiet a dispute.
- Local forest gnomes and bearfolk farmers crowd the long tables, while plantfolk sip delicately at flower-laced cocktails.
- Traveling bards perform by the hearth, hoping for Nyssa’s silver nod to take a private stage later.
Whisper Room Denizens
| Name | Species | Appearance | Personality | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mira “Sweetclover” | Harengon | Plush gray fur, long white-tipped ears, bright eyes, wears flower-patterned short robes | Playful, bubbly, loves teasing shy clients | Light playful companionship, secret note exchanges |
| Bramblevine | Plantfolk | Green skin twined with living vines & white blossoms | Gentle, empathetic, slightly melancholy | Emotional healing, soft conversation, lingering touches |
| Anseria | Foxfolk | Russet fur, amber eyes, three flowing tails, elegant silks | Sultry, witty, enjoys games of secrets | Sensual dances, whispered stories of hidden realms |
| Piprilla “Pip” | Sprite | Tiny, red-winged ladybug-folk with glitter freckles | Mischievous, flirty, loves to surprise | Euphoria dust, playful group sessions, teasing flights |
| Velinar | Mothfolk | Cream wings patterned in soft browns & golds, sheer layered robes | Dreamy, softly spoken, poetic | Shadow plays on walls, illusion storytelling |
| Wispalyn | Forest Gnome | Hair dyed in swirling bright colors, wears smocks stained with glowing ink | Artistic, giggly, hyper-focused when painting | Enchanted body painting that glows under lanternlight |
Contents & Furnishings
- Heavy oak tables etched with dancing bees and vines.
- A bar of polished rootwood, with dozens of small charms and bottles hanging from hooks above.
- A circular central hearth of stacked stone where people roast skewers or warm cider.
- Alcoves with low velvet seats for private chats or games of knucklebones.
- A “story board” on the wall where visiting travelers carve a tiny sigil or message for future guests.
Valuables
- A shelf behind the bar holds rare local spirits in jewel-bright bottles.
- Small enchanted acorn cups that refill once per night as a courtesy to “first-time guests.”
- The carved stone hearth is rumored to hold hidden compartments with ledgers, gold, or blackmail letters.
Special Properties
- A gentle glamour keeps the air always sweet and clean, no matter how many farmers pile in muddy boots.
- Protective wards woven by Nyssa and old hedgewitches prevent violence and dampen any harmful spells.
- Guests who drift off by the fire often have unusually vivid dreams, as leyline threads pulse beneath the tavern foundation.
Architecture
Unlike many simpler homes in Honeyknell Hollow, The Drunken Bumble stands out as almost whimsical fey architecture blended with cozy woodland lodge. It’s crooked, asymmetrical, with living vines woven right into the walls and lanterns that seem to grow from the beams like flowers.
The roof is layered with moss and flowering sedum, bright with tiny blossoms most of the year, and honeybees often flit in and out of small carved alcoves — encouraged by Nyssa for their symbolism and gentle guardianship.
Tourism
Everyone from local trappers and orchard keepers to traveling merchants, star-eyed lovers, or even quiet fey nobles in glamour. Some come to sample famous mushroom pies or honey spirits; others to whisper secrets into Nyssa’s ear, hoping for a private audience or a slip of silk to guide them deeper into the hidden chambers of the Whisper Rooms.
Comments