Disclaimer: This document has been created for academic purposes only. Do not attempt to replicate anything mentioned here without a proper supervision.
Many forms of divination are based on the precondition that the divine can affect chance. Sometimes, however, an unexpected entity might take over with a more malicious intent than just answering one's questions. Such is the case of the divination walk.
The divination walk can be performed either alone, or in a small group. At first, a starting position is chosen. Once all participants are present, they each clearly state their question. One might ask multiple questions, but it is discouraged, as it can be unclear which clues are related to which question. After this, the divination begins.
At first, participants count all the possible paths one could take from their position and determine which to take based on a dice roll. The way one rolls for paths is not important, as long as it stays consistent.
The most common way to roll for paths is with a single d6 as follows:
2 paths:
1, 3, 5 -> left
2, 4, 6 -> right
3 paths:
1, 4 -> left
2, 5 -> middle
3, 6 -> right
4-6 paths:
just roll and reroll on invalid numbers
7+ paths:
roll appropriate number of times, subtract number
of rolls minus one and reroll on invalid numbers
Once a path is chosen, it is followed until a branching point is encountered. There, another roll is made for all possible paths, except the one from which one came.
A path is considered to be any possible places where all participants could go. This includes shops, pubs, forests, participants' houses, etc.
During the divination, one should look around, absorb their surroundings and search for anything that might be interpreted as a part of their answer.
The divination has few rules which must be followed by all participants. One can not walk outside of a path. One can not walk a non-rolled path. One can not reject a rolled path. One can not ignore a valid path in a roll.
As stated, ominous forces lurk over participants. As one is led by the dice, they are often led in such a way to conjure a weak portal to a currently unidentified realm, referred to as 'the Other Side' by most traditions. It is not a fully formed portal, but each passing blends ones current realm with the Other Side a bit more.
Entering a portal, especially on the first few levels, can be hard to notice. It mainly manifests in small things. Buildings in unusual state of disrepair. Sudden silence. At higher levels, paths might even lead to other places than they usually do.
Once someone enters this warped space, entities start to take notice. A little shadow here and there at the start, a lot of other things later. Most know better than to confront someone participating in the divination. As long as the rules are followed that is.
There are exactly two ways to escape the Other Side's influence. First is to get back to the starting position and proclaim the divination as complete. This is unlikely to happen without breaking the rules, but it is a good fallback.
Second way to end the divination properly is to walk into a path that slowly fades into nothing. Upon walking into the faded nothing, the divination ends. It is not to be mistaken with a dead end, however, as dead ends must be walked all the way to the end, and back. Failing to do so is considered rejecting a path.
Dead ends are generally considered a bad omen, as they are more likely to contain portals on the turning point and entities are said to get more aggressive around them.
It is currently unknown whether it is possible to fully enter the Other Side this way, or if it even is a fully formed realm.
Further research is required.