I cannot comment on whether the module holds any spots where it would be natural, maybe even beneficial to take the time to "piece Torus together", but I can tell that I am in no way rigidly enforcing you to stay on the beaten path. However, since the story is heading into a certain direction, too big of a diversion may end up making things monumentally harder in the future. Hopefully I will be able to establish a certain sense of urgency even within IC, so that your characters can naturally choose to pursue "the main quest" over the side mission of helping their friend when the game would call for it.

And of course, if all else fails, I still have the DM staple of asking "Are you sure?"