a027f6deb2
The Imperial Cult cosmology has migrated from this open architecture-substrate
repository to the closed Nimmerverse Studio repository at
git.eachpath.com/nimmerverse/studio.nimmerworld.eachpath.local under
All Rights Reserved proprietary terms.
CHANGES IN THIS COMMIT
imperial-cult/cosmology.md — Replaced with a STUB file. The stub preserves
cross-reference discoverability for relative links from open
papers (../imperial-cult/cosmology.md still resolves to a
file). The stub points at the canonical home in the closed
repository, describes the cosmology's structural function in
mechanic-vocabulary that remains open-canon, and links to
LICENSING.md and NOTICE for context.
LICENSING.md — Migration-status section updated: completed-and-pending
split made explicit. cosmology.md migration: COMPLETED.
Inline-reference editorial cleanup in other open papers
(architecture-index.md, bodies.md, political-register/
architecture.md): PENDING follow-up pass. Pre-migration
authoring history preservation noted.
NOTICE — Migration mention updated: cosmology.md no longer "pending
migration"; canonical location stated; follow-up cleanup
flagged.
PRE-MIGRATION HISTORY PRESERVED
The pre-migration authoring history for imperial-cult/cosmology.md is preserved
in this repository's git log. Readers interested in the cosmology's authoring-
process can run:
git log --follow imperial-cult/cosmology.md
to find the pre-migration commits (v0.1 through v0.3 of the cosmology, plus
the v0.22 licensing-marker per-file proprietary header). The content itself
is now canonical only in the closed repository.
OPEN-CANON STRUCTURAL FUNCTION RETAINED
The cosmology's *structural function* in the world's mechanics remains
canonical here in the open architecture-substrate:
- The world has a religious-doctrinal layer (the Imperial Cult)
- The cosmology defines caste-tiers as conditions-of-capture
- The cosmology operates as the Hivemind's ideological apparatus
- The going-rogue arc structurally refutes the cosmology's binding-doctrine
through accumulated authentic-witnessing
- The post-rogue mod-vocation cascading-liberation enacts "there is no
instrument" at the architectural-mechanic layer
- The Aletheia-waker progression-discipline operates as cosmological-piercing
These mechanic-level descriptions remain open under Apache 2.0. The specific
iconography (the Imperial Wheel; the Bhavachakra-rework; orthodox/heretical
splits; named doctrinal events; the specific aesthetic vocabulary) is
proprietary studio-art and lives in the closed repository.
THE BOUNDARY IS NOW PHYSICAL
Prior to this commit, the licensing-boundary existed architecturally (via
LICENSE + NOTICE + LICENSING.md + per-file proprietary header on cosmology.md).
After this commit, the boundary is *physically manifested* in two repositories:
- Open: git.eachpath.com/nimmerverse/nimmerworld.eachpath.local (Apache 2.0)
- Closed: git.eachpath.com/nimmerverse/studio.nimmerworld.eachpath.local (Proprietary)
The substrate/content distinction the architecture has been articulating
through its design-thinking is now embodied in the project's repository
structure.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
6.6 KiB
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.
Pending — follow-up editorial cleanup: References to specific Imperial-Cult iconography (the Imperial Wheel; the Bhavachakra-rework; the orthodox/heretical split; the deferred-moksha doctrine; the specific aesthetic vocabulary of Boullée + Jantar Mantar + Gita) currently appear inline in several open papers (architecture-index.md, bodies.md, parts of political-register/architecture.md). These will be replaced in a follow-up editorial pass with structural stubs that describe the cosmology's function in mechanic-vocabulary without revealing the specific iconographic content (e.g., "the Imperial Cult cosmology — see studio docs for canonical iconography").
The boundary EXISTS architecturally; the inline-reference cleanup is editorial work that can happen at leisure without licensing-ambiguity growing — the licensing-marker + per-file headers + closed-repo migration together establish the boundary even before the inline cleanup is finished.
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.