It's a nice bonus to the sidequests, yes. Do the wizards seem like they're going to fight over the headband? Does Ember need... the concept of undead... explained to her... like it seems like undead of all things should be straightforward to get her on board with killing.

All the wizards would like the headband, but the two wizards who aren't Nenio seem to be assuming that obviously he's going to prioritize the one who can hang fourth-circle spells.

"...They're hurting very badly," says Ember about the undead, "and it's better if they can stop hurting. But I'd never cast that spell before, I only learned it a couple days ago, and it's still a little bit scary."

Yeah, he agrees that the one who can hang fourth circle spells is the priority here but would have wanted to jump on it... somehow... if they'd been less amenable to this arrangement. Headband for Nenio.

"Understandable," he says about Ember's combat jitters. "Is there anything in the form of drilling or practice that might help?"

"...I don't know. I don't want to hurt someone just for practice, but casting it on an object wouldn't really be the same."

"I am willing to volunteer as the subject of an experiment about your powers if desired!"

...Ember does not really look like she desires that, no.

"...Lann could take you hunting?"

Frown. "We'd still be hurting the animals, though."

"That's why it might make good practice, and the cooks would make meals of them afterwards, but I'm not going to insist."

Ember does not really look like she wants to try that sort of "practice."

"Hey, to be fair, it's not like a Scorching Ray is going to do much against a demon anyway."

"Yes, but other ray spells might, I don't know what to expect Ember to wind up with."

"Maybe she'll get a healing ray like you have."

"That seems improbable. I am not familiar with any previous cases of individuals with that particular power, so it is likely quite rare."

"It was one of the Wardstone-derived abilities, so it would be surprising if it popped up elsewhere," he agrees.

Anyway, what else is between them and the end of the sidequest?

They're getting close now! The location is apparently at the bottom of a twisty, tree-filled hill; they descend, fighting off a handful of undead animals with the characteristic aggressiveness of those slain by demonplague. As they make their way down the hill, they pass by a couple of statues with mysterious symbols on them (Nenio pronounces them puzzles, and declares that more information is necessary in order to solve them).

The bottom of the hill has dozens of the strange masked figures, standing near four large statues with written inscriptions, too small to read from a distance. The figures don't seem to be conversing, or forming a party to go after the undead beasts in the area, or doing much of anything but standing around. Some of them turn their heads slowly towards the party as they approach; others stay stock-still.

"They still don't ping Evil," says Seelah dubiously.

"...It's really weird how they're just standing around in the middle of the Worldwound."

"Strictly speaking we are not in the middle of the Worldwound. Even after crossing the Wardstone barrier, we have remained quite close to the eastern edge."

Is there a technical definition of "middle" which has only so much margin for deviation from the exact centerpoint - he might ask that if they weren't, well, here now. Is there any evidence of their supply situation? Do they have shelter? A cistern or anything? Are there obvious tracks to and from suggesting routine routes in and out?

There are some crumbling ruins a little ways past the statues that could possibly constitute shelter. If there's a cistern it's in the crumbling ruins, not here. There are tracks leading out but not entirely in sensible directions; most of them are in and out of the crumbled ruins or up and down the hill Blai's party just descended, but some of them also lead places like "directly towards the center of the Worldwound, not even detouring around a small crumbled wall." It is not clear how, if at all, they're being supplied.

...okay. Well. Some of them have noticed the visit already and aren't doing anything about it, so they can approach a little closer, see if they're... saying anything, or will be moved to do so.

One of them (this one is an elf, standing near one of the statues) turns to look at them. "I am the answer, but what is the question?"

She looks back at the statue. "The absence of an answer is an answer too."

She touches the statue, and, without giving any other sign that she's casting a spell, disappears into thin air.

"I know of no sources of truly spontaneous dematerialization, and believe that it is unlikely to have resulted from a Wish! Perhaps that was a silent Dimension Door, or a Still Silent Invisibility with material components eschewed?"

Nenio starts running in the direction of the space the elf just vacated.