Andrew LaBree
Bio
As a creator, I typically work with wood, carving and crafting handmade objects and furniture that are practical, seasonal, or fantastical. Professionally I own my own building company. This is my first endeavor in writing creatively.
Stories (6/0)
Dragons of Osmaria
“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley!,” whispered Liri, sounding shocked and dumbfounded as she dove out of sight. Susgu had quickly crouched behind a cluster of boulders as soon as they had crested the ridgeline and caught a glimpse of the great serpents. Even at this distance, they would have been easily spotted by the dragons’ exceptional sight had they been looking this way, like field mice to a hungry hawk. Hoping they had escaped detection, Susgu signaled to Liri. Fearful of the great beasts’ hearing as well, he signaled using the intricate hand movements used by the Llianese trackers, though he had been scouting with Liri for so long, she would have understood a sideways glance of his eyes. They each carefully and in turn, peered out from their cover to observe the Valley beyond.
By Andrew LaBree2 years ago in Fiction
Children of the Oxcairn
Without a doubt, the most enviable of all the powers displayed by children of the Oxcairn was that of prophecy. The discovery of the powers had come about late in the 35th century, and for nearly three hundred years the Oxcairn people had refined their methods, exposed new powers, and used their gifted children to prosper and expand their influence in the empire. Their few, disparate villages had developed into a thriving capital in the central valley of an encircling mountain range. Streets were paved, improved sanitation methods greatly increased life expectancy, and generally the culture thrived where civilizations typically do when they no longer struggle for subsistence. By 3514, a pseudo-religion had emerged and a hieratic succession was codified to administer the development and capitalization of the Oxcairn powers. Many of the various powers exhibited by Oxcairn children were incredibly useful, even instrumental in advancing Oxcairn society, for example, the formidable Temple of Trials would never have been constructed without the earth shifters. It was prophecy, however, that was far more critical to the Oxcairn’s rise to power. Their relatively modest military maintained a history of victories against numerically and technologically superior foes; the trade agreements with their allies always heavily favored the Oxcairn; and they had been effectively immune from any natural disaster, drought, famine, or plague for the entirety of their 800 year history. It is all the more surprising, then, that their sudden and catastrophic end was prophesied by one of their own, and the Oxcairn people might have been saved, had she told anyone.
By Andrew LaBree2 years ago in Fiction
Merekandr's Beginning
As he rounded the bend in the road, Ward breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the flicker of lights in the distance. It had been nearly eleven hours since he had left the last imperial post, and though he knew the villages were sparser once you left the imperial highway, he had hoped for a much shorter distance between stops. It had started raining shortly after breakfast this morning, and although it hadn’t really increased in severity all day, eleven hours of foot travel in even the lightest of rain showers had still soaked his traveling cloak thoroughly, and it clung in places that made him reconsider his typically conservative vocabulary. The rain had made his walking staff slick, and gripping it had starting rubbing raw spots on his palm. He normally didn’t use a walking staff, but he had recently inherited this one from a deceased grandfather, and felt a peculiar compulsion to have it accompany him. Its newness was wearing on his hand, but he felt better for having it. From this distance, he couldn’t tell through the rain how big the town was, and what kind of lodgings awaited him. He imagined a warm-hearth, a spit of roast pork, chilled ale, and a bed with a real mattress and linen would be nice.
By Andrew LaBree3 years ago in Fiction
The Staff of Elysium
The saga of a diamond willow wizard staff begins where it is meant to begin, and ends when the staff tells me it’s complete. Inspiration can come from a stone that catches my eye at the rock shop, or a character drama that unfolds during a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Once the idea of a particular staff has embedded itself in my cortex, the only way to dislodge it is to complete the task; to make the staff a reality. It begins with the hunt.
By Andrew LaBree3 years ago in Futurism
Bobcat Bingo
The rain had been inching its way across the Ozarks for the past several hours, and the scattered drops on the front window were starting to coalesce. It would only be a matter of time before it started in earnest, and then the bum out front would surely find his way inside. Any excuse would do, but the rains this time of year were a relatively good one.
By Andrew LaBree3 years ago in Criminal
