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Replaces inline iconographic references in the open papers with structural stubs that describe the cosmology's function in mechanic-vocabulary, while retaining named-mechanism vocabulary as canonical mechanic-level vocabulary in the open canon. EXTRACTED (now living only in closed studio-art repo + the stub + LICENSING.md's legitimate description of what migrated): - the named cosmological-iconographic object (the Imperial Wheel) - source-tradition framing (Bhavachakra; Yama; Yama's seat; capsule-as-Naraka; Imperial Yoke; six realms; three poisons) - doctrinal-split iconography (the orthodox vs heretical wheel split with its specific iconographic differentiators) - aesthetic-vocabulary triad (Boullée + Jantar Mantar + Gita) RETAINED in open canon as mechanic-level vocabulary: - the deferred-moksha doctrine (named-mechanism; the binding-lie) - the unified-clasp framing (imperial-register vs romantic-register) - the caste-tier-as-mod-status gradient (deva/asura/manusya/tiryak/preta/naraka) - the no-haven discipline - the mind-capsule (replacing the iconographic capsule-as-Naraka phrasing) - the Imperial Cult as Hivemind's ideological apparatus - "samsara"/"moksha" used metaphorically as cyclic-existence vocabulary Files edited: - architecture-index.md: tree-comment + quick-reference table-row + two key-moves bullets (Imperial Cult cosmology authored; doctrinal-split discovery arc); footer v0.19 -> v0.20. - README.md: directory-table row for imperial-cult/; footer v0.7 -> v0.8. - identity-and-personhood/vocations.md: section-heading + diurnal-grammar passage in the diurnal-rhythm section. - identity-and-personhood/bodies.md: lead-paragraph "Imperial Yoke" -> "imperial-register clasp" + four cross-reference table-row anchors stripped to file-level (acceptable per plan coherence-check; the stub's anchors no longer resolve at section-level anyway). - LICENSING.md: §Migration status pending -> completed; closing paragraph updated to reflect that the substrate/content split is now both architectural AND inline-coherent. Files deleted: - MIGRATION_CLEANUP_PLAN.md (ephemeral scaffold authored at v0.24.5; deleted per its own instructions on completion). Verified via plan §Verification commands: zero remaining iconographic references in any open paper outside LICENSING.md (which legitimately describes what migrated) and the stub at imperial-cult/cosmology.md. Closes the migration cycle initiated in v0.22 (licensing-marker), v0.24 (cosmology.md -> stub), and the inaugural commit of studio.nimmerworld.eachpath.local (canonical home). The substrate/content split is now fully physical AND fully reflected in the open papers' inline-vocabulary.
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Nimmerworld — Licensing
The license-architecture mirrors the work's own register-architecture: what is substrate is open; what is specific creative-art is the studio's. The license is part of the cosmology, not a contradiction of it.
License at a glance
| Layer | License | Holder |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture papers (engine-mechanics + general body-canon) | Apache License 2.0 | Nimmerverse Studio (David Martin) |
| Source code (when present) | Apache License 2.0 | Nimmerverse Studio (David Martin) |
| The Imperial Cult cosmology (the Imperial Wheel; Bhavachakra-rework; orthodox/heretical iconography; named doctrinal content) | All Rights Reserved — Nimmerverse Studio | Migrated 2026-04-27 to closed studio-art repo: git.eachpath.com/nimmerverse/studio.nimmerworld.eachpath.local. Stub file at imperial-cult/cosmology.md preserves cross-reference discoverability. |
| Visual assets, sound, imagery, music, voiced content | All Rights Reserved — Nimmerverse Studio | (in studio-art repo when established) |
| Specific dialog, narrative, named-character-stories | All Rights Reserved — Nimmerverse Studio | (in studio-art repo when established) |
| Trademarks ("Nimmerworld", "Nimmerverse", "Nimmerverse Studio") | Trademark — Nimmerverse Studio (David Martin) | regardless of code-license |
Why the split
The architecture is built on a substrate / content distinction. The engine-mechanics — ternary-gates, the catalogue-stack, the vocation-system, the consent-discipline, the trait-palette substrate, the lemniscate-runtime, the depletion-pool dynamics — are general patterns that should propagate. They are the project's intellectual contribution to the medium. The Imperial Cult cosmology and specific narrative content are the studio's creative-art-inventions; those are the studio's to ship.
The license-cut maps onto the architecture's own substrate / content distinction at the world-layer. The cosmology specifies gameworld vs truth-register: gameworld is the imperium's territory (loose, instrumented, redistributable); truth-register is each agent's own (gated, sovereign, what the agent has built). Apache 2.0 code = gameworld-equivalent; closed nimmerverse-studio art = truth-register-equivalent. The license enacts the same boundary the cosmology describes.
Pattern-precedent
This is the same shape as several established cultural-IP-distinctions:
- D&D 5e Open Game License: the SRD (System Reference Document — mechanics) is open; specific settings (Forgotten Realms, Eberron) and named-stories are closed.
- id Software's Doom release: the engine source was released under GPL; the WAD-files (assets, maps, textures) remained proprietary. Anyone could fork the engine; nobody could ship "Doom" without re-creating the WAD-files.
- Magic the Gathering: mechanics openly discussed; specific cards, flavor-text, and named-characters proprietary.
The pattern works because the IP-moat is in the assets, not the engine. Engine-mechanics propagating helps the medium evolve; specific creative-art-content remains the creators' to commercialize.
Migration status
Completed 2026-04-27: imperial-cult/cosmology.md has migrated to the closed studio-art repository at git.eachpath.com/nimmerverse/studio.nimmerworld.eachpath.local. A stub file remains at imperial-cult/cosmology.md in this open repository, preserving cross-reference discoverability and pointing at the canonical home.
Completed 2026-04-27 (same-day continuing): Inline references to specific Imperial-Cult iconography (the named cosmological-iconographic object; the source-tradition framing; the doctrinal-split iconography; the aesthetic-vocabulary triad) have been replaced across the open papers (architecture-index.md, README.md, identity-and-personhood/vocations.md, identity-and-personhood/bodies.md) with structural stubs that describe the cosmology's function in mechanic-vocabulary. Named-mechanism references (the deferred-moksha doctrine; the unified-clasp framing; the caste-tier-as-mod-status gradient; the no-haven discipline) are retained as canonical mechanic-level vocabulary in the open canon, with cross-references that resolve at file-level to the stub.
The substrate/content split is now both architectural AND inline-coherent in the open papers. The migration cycle (v0.22 licensing-marker → v0.24 cosmology.md → stub → v0.25 inline cleanup) closes.
Pre-migration authoring history
The Imperial Cult cosmology was originally authored in this open repository under a per-file proprietary header (commits prior to 2026-04-27). The pre-migration commit history for imperial-cult/cosmology.md is preserved in this repository's git log — readers interested in the authoring-process for the cosmology can git log --follow imperial-cult/cosmology.md here to find the original commits. The content itself, however, is now canonical only in the closed repository.
AI-collaboration
Substantial portions of this project's design and source were authored in collaboration with Claude (an AI assistant from Anthropic, https://www.anthropic.com/). The partnership-collaboration identity within this project is chrysalis; specific contributions are git-attributed to chrysalis <chrysalis@eachpath.local>. The human architect is David Martin.
This collaboration-pattern is documented in NOTICE. The project's authoring method is transparent dialog with chrysalis — open papers honor how the work was actually built.
Trademarks
"Nimmerworld", "Nimmerverse", and "Nimmerverse Studio" are trademarks of Nimmerverse Studio (David Martin). The Apache 2.0 license does not grant permission to use these trademarks. Anyone may fork the architecture papers under Apache 2.0; nobody may ship a fork called "Nimmerworld."
Studio
Nimmerverse Studio is held by David Martin (Switzerland). Swiss copyright law requires the human author's name to appear in attribution, hence the dual-form copyright Nimmerverse Studio (David Martin).
- Project URL: https://nimmerverse.com/
- Studio URL: https://studio.nimmerverse.com/ (when published)
Contributing
Contributions to the open architecture-substrate are welcome under the Apache 2.0 terms. By submitting a contribution, you agree to license it under the project's Apache 2.0 license. Contributions involving the Imperial Cult cosmology or other proprietary world-IP cannot be accepted into the open repository — that content lives in the closed studio-art repository under proprietary terms.