maybe you could just decide what is happening "in story" the wizard maybe went to meditate or just for a realy long walk or into a brothel or what ever that wizard fancies as leisure..
.. so his 'second-in-commands' where left on their own and WITHOUT ORDERS.. but still they had to do something with those disiples:
"This is crazy!"
The young secretary was smashing the plates of his allready cold dinner against the wall.
"What am i supposed to do now? Damn it! I did not sign up for this! That crazy old fool told me it would be an easy job. Just pushing papers, filling mana nodes, keeping the corespondence with the orcs up to date. And now this! He just runs of into the forests mumbling something about the coming spring and picking moonblossoms. And outside this darn tower are his darn deciples awaiting his orders. There is somthing to decide. And deciding is not my job nor my talent. Ahhh!!"
And again, there was someone knocking.
"Come in" he said with a fading voice.
A small guy with wallthinck glasses (the speaker of the settlers, again!) came into his office, asking (again):
"Well, how about now? Did the wise wizard decide yet? Did he? You know, we are all waiting. And, well, we would like to know. And that is why i`m asking. Well, did he? Not that we are impatient. It would be just really nice if he could tell us where to settle. At least give us a general direction."
The secretary raised his arm and burned the speaker with a mighty fireball. At least in his fantasy, since he did not wilde any magic power at all. It was so unfair. If he waited longer the settlers might go home again and then the wizard would probably summon said fireball to burn him. If he decided where the deciples should settle the wizard could dislike his decision and would probably summon an iceball or something to freeze him.
After innerly exasperating about his fate, he looked the speaker into the eyes and lied:
"Yes, the wizard told me where you should settle!"
Then he went to the map (which conviniently was hanging on the wall). His index finger was tipping at six different places. He mumbled to him self:
"Fertile grounds, mana node, close to a city, on a hilltop, at he seashore, close to that orc fortress, one, two, three, four, five, six."
Then he turned his back to the speaker, rolled a dice under his hand (it showed a two) and the proclaimed:
"Here, exactly here the great wizard wants you to settle!"
The stout speaker of the settlers was not that certain about all this anymore and asked:
"I would not dare, well, even question the wise wizards decisions, but, well, why exactly there, i mean, well ehhmm, you did not just make that up? Or did you? Well, don`t get me wrong but, ehmm, it looked like somehow. I mean not that i am the one to tell, but you know, i mean why there?"
"Because the dei.. because the deity, which our wise wizard will be once, said so! And anyway there is mana and everything, you know. So get out, or the grand wizard might consider throwing a waterball at you!"
"A what! A waterball, but well, wouldn`t that just, ehmm, be a little refreshing and, well, nothing else. I mean, a ball of water, well i could imagine worse. You know, well, when i was young-"
"Shut up! Just leave, settle there. Just leave. Or I`ll recommend a Magmaball for you!"
"Well, now, you see that would be something to actually be afraid of. You know, i mean, if you compare a waterball to a magmaball than you realy have a comparison. You know, i mean i don`t, but, well once my uncle.."
All this carried one for at least two hours, and the secretary just managed to get the speaker to leave and to promise to settle down on that location after threatening sucide. Afterwards the secretary backed his stuff and left a note:
"I`m gone, please don`t look for me it is over! Move on. And please don`t curse me!"