Morning light slipped through the shutters of Evan’s inn room. He woke before sunrise with the same electric energy that used to hit him before major campaign launches. Except this time there were no clients breathing down his neck. No ten hour meetings. No hurried revisions. Only possibility.

He grabbed his notebook and began listing priorities for the day

Find a building
Gather craftsmen
Begin brand education
Design the guild identity

The fourth point stirred something warm in his chest. For years he worked within strict agency guidelines and corporate board demands. Here he could build an entire identity system from nothing and shape a culture in its earliest moments. In the real world branding served companies. Here branding could reshape society.

Evan left the inn and walked toward the central marketplace. Dawnriver was already awake. Farmers pulled carts filled with vegetables that glowed faintly from magical soil. A pair of enchanters adjusted the floating lanterns along the street. Bakers carried trays of airy pastries that lifted off the surface every few seconds before settling back down.

The marketplace felt different today. People whispered the phrase identity maker when he passed. A blacksmith nodded respectfully. Varro was already shouting about the new symbols with more confidence than yesterday. Evan saw adventurers comparing Brannor’s blades with others lacking marks and they debated based on identity not just glow intensity.

He approached a vacant building at the edge of the plaza. Old stone walls. Wooden beams darkened by time. A wide front door. Two tall windows. It was dusty abandoned and full of potential.

An elderly man sweeping the street watched Evan examine it.

“Thinking of renting it traveler”

“Possibly” Evan said “Do you know who owns it”

“Old merchant guild. They left the place three years ago. Too small for their needs”

“Is it still usable”

The man shrugged. “Needs a new sign. Needs some patching. But the bones are solid”

Evan stepped inside. The large room had a long table collapsed on one side and shelves coated in a thick layer of dust. Sunlight streamed through the windows lighting the air like golden fog. The space felt right. It felt like a workshop for ideas.

He imagined walls lined with symbols sketches runes and color systems. Large tables for craftsmen to bring their products. A room for demonstrations. Maybe even a gallery of brand marks.

As he stood in the center he whispered the name again.

“Guild of Names”

The words fit.

He walked back into the street and almost collided with Brannor and Varro who seemed to be looking for him.

“There you are” Brannor said “We have been searching since dawn. The adventurers are asking if you will craft marks for armor. The potion buyers want symbols for resistance and endurance. The baker wants a name for her floating bread”

Evan laughed softly. “I will help all of them. But we need a central place first. A headquarters”

He pointed at the building. “This one. I want to use it as the home for the guild”

Varro adjusted his robe. “The building looks old but it has presence. Like a place where knowledge waits”

Brannor knocked the doorframe. “Sturdy. It will last many winters”

Evan took a breath. “If we form this guild it cannot operate as a single shop. It must be a center where identity flows outward. Where ideas begin and spread”

Varro leaned closer. “Then we must give it a brand too. A symbol. A signature”

“Yes” Evan said. “We need the first great identity of this kingdom”

He pulled out his notebook and the two craftsmen hovered over his shoulders. He drew slowly carefully. A quill shaped like a rune. A circle symbolizing unity. Lines spreading outward like rays of inspiration. The shape resembled both a feather and a spark. Concepts merging.

Brannor inhaled sharply. “This feels like a crest”

“It needs to” Evan said “A guild crest must feel bigger than any one member. It must represent a philosophy”

Varro whispered the name. “Guild of Names”

Evan wrote the phrase beneath the crest. Instead of sharp angles he used soft curves so the lettering could be easily carved or painted. He added a faint arc beneath the words like a guiding path. Everything looked balanced and intentional.

Brannor tapped the page. “Will it glow like my hammer mark”

“Yes. But differently. This glow will not show power. It will show clarity. Like moonlight instead of fire”

Varro clasped his hands together. “This guild will change the entire market. People will know where ideas come from”

Evan tucked the notebook away. “Let us speak to the innkeeper. She might know how to contact the building’s owner”

As they walked through the plaza they passed more merchants asking questions. A tailor wanted a symbol for weather resistant cloaks. A woodcarver wanted markings for sturdy furniture. Even a young squire asked if Evan could design a crest for his shield.

Evan answered them all with the same line “Come tomorrow. The Guild of Names opens soon”

The phrase spread quickly. By midday whispers filled the market.

Guild of Names
Guild of Names
Guild of Names

It felt unreal. He had only been in this world for two days yet momentum pushed him faster than any corporate job ever had.

At noon the innkeeper contacted the previous owners of the building. They agreed to rent it for a modest fee. Varro offered to cover half. Brannor insisted he would cover the other half.

“You helped us become something more” Brannor said “Let us help you now”

Evan accepted with gratitude. Ownership mattered less than participation. This guild belonged to all of them.

By evening they had cleaned most of the dust swept the floor and opened the windows. Lanterns filled the interior with warm light.

Evan stood in the center again watching as the craftsmen examined the space. A sense of purpose pulsed through the room.

Tomorrow the doors would open
Tomorrow identity would gain a home
Tomorrow the brand empire would take shape

And Evan felt exactly where he needed to be.