Loose superimposition

Despite being considered discrete planes, their exact boundaries in 'discrete' sections of magic space are actually slightly fuzzy. Loose superimposition is the concept of existing within this fuzzy border, still technically within a discrete plane in magic space without functionally being within it. This not-quite planar space is highly variable, and accessing it through most means has extremely poor resolution.   A key feature of loose superimposition is that it can basically be treated as an additional spatial dimension. Because the concept describes a continuous band of space, it's actually possible to create otherwise mundane objects that stretch across loose superimposition, such as tesseracts. Other superimpositional concepts use Chaos magic to link essentially arbitrary points in space infinite distances from each other, but loose superimposition doesn't bother.   Phenomenon which occur in loose superimposition:   Ghosts   Ghosts' existence in loose superimposition is a key factor in the unreliability of shamanism, and the difficulty in researching anything to do with ghosts in general.   The Silencing Sorcery   Acts on the wide band of fuzziness, not targeting any particular portion- the idea of this magic is dimensional insulation, making it harder for others to reach into (and beyond) loose superimposition.   Dilith   Forms extremely stable structures across magic space when input enough energy to do so, existing loosely in its natural state. Note that dilith's self-repair mechanism works off of conventional superimposition, but the material itself is infused into objects through loose superimposition.   Objects can be 'knocked into' loose superimposition by forces which contain a strong magical component, which can disturb their position in magic space; most commonly, via the The Soul-Force Effect .  

Cultural perspective

A cultural thing on approaches to dimensions & loose superimposition: the upper half of the continent has very well-defined areas of given affinities. They consequently tend to conceptualize magical space in discrete ways because it's the most applicable to them. The southern side is a lot muddier, with lesser planes and greater spirits etc. floating around far more than any large homogeneous sections of planar affinity. Very few areas have a singular affinity in the south, while the north very rarely contains the opposite. This makes southerners think of magic space as much more of a spectrum/gradient.   Northerners like enchanters use the term 'loose superimposition' to describe what is, to them, an edge case in physics. To southerners, 'loose superimposition' is simply the expected behavior of magical space, and they find the concept of a piece of land only having one strong dimensional affinity odd. Essentially, they formally derive it after discovering the concept of superimposition (hence its name), which any southerner would find incredibly backwards. Remember again that we're not talking about acknowledging that something exists- we're talking about a rigorous theory which fits within the existing understanding of dimensional mechanics. Anyone who travels south and spends time around warlocks etc. will find out about loose superimposition, it's not a well-guarded secret; it's just that the binding philosophy and first principals are very different from the enchanter's: enchanting makes many assertions that binding considers untrue, and binding isn't as well-defined in certain areas. Neither approach is anywhere complex enough to truly produce a grand unified theory, so both simply choose where their models will be incorrect.   This explanation may at first seem like it conflates macro and micro-scale applications of red quanta, and it sort of does. Thing is, loose superimposition (micro) is much more likely to exist when the macro-scale position in magical space is more unstable.   A big reason why the south has so much blending is Eidel (Blood in general, really)- when your civilization's primary affinity is to a lesser plane, intrinsic invocation doesn't happen to the same extent. Therefore, greater planes and other lesser things have a much easier time gaining a foothold.   While Hauntfall is in semi-regular contact with Whirlpool, the latter aren't super willing to teach theory to the former. It's very hard to derive the same principals from observation due to the differing environments- a lot of lower-level binding heavily relies on environmental conditions being similar to the typical south's. Heavy planar affinity simply breaks unsecured stuff, and the knowledge required to properly shield something is way further up the 'tech tree'- to the point that it's really unlikely to figure out without quite a large body of work- one that Whirlpool famously guards from outsiders by imposing a geas on prospective students.   So about the whole loose-superimposition thing. Loose superimposition is theoretically infinite in scope: what changes is the difficulty in accessing it. There's an increasing cost to accessing loose space the further you stray from the base plane. The exact shape and magnitude of this curve depend on local planar conditions.   Consider planar affinity as a metaphysical rubber band. Accessing loose superimposition involves stretching the rubber band past its standard path. A single, strong connection creates something analogous to tension, reducing metaphorical slack. As the number of connections increases, the size of the band does. However, the rate at which the size of the band increases outpaces the increased distance from additional points to stretch between. Therefore, as connections increases, tension decreases, reducing the force required to stretch the band (access loose superimposition).  

Superimpositional Stickiness

Regardless of the underlying philosophy, one thing that can be agreed on by most is the common reference frame of superimpositional behavior: the anchor of the rubber band etc. Within the mundane plane, at least, there's a very obvious baseline point: the observable world.