When you first get to the homestead Zixzax should start with a 'welcome to the Homestead' monologue where he describes the Tapestry of Time and how your interaction with a rare type of stone had repaired part of the damage, and tasks you with finding more of those stones. Your characters get a dual dialog to accept or not (though that is an obedient/independent bonus).
I've had the 'welcome' speech skipped before, though, without any problem with the exit portal. The bonuses triggering the first conversation after loading can happen in other circumstances, as well.
