Xorn lifts the unconscious Thomas, moves to the boat and unloads him, “Much like a craftsman, a warrior requires his tools.” The Minotaur then hustles to the first goblin he fell to retrieve his spear and hand axe. 

Everyone takes position in the boat and Xorn shoves it into the river. Behind, on the shore goblins appear near the tree line and start shooting at you with their bows.

Shanryar Is targeted but arrows clatter at her feet. The goblins are still too far. 

Seeing that they are far enough and that some goblins were already taking the rest of the boats while others fire at them from the little dock or shore line.

Shan, for the very first time since they arrived to Solace, took her hood off, leaving her now white hair free in the lake's breez, she closes her eyes and just when she begins her chant she smashed a little ball of what looks like guano and sulfur between her fingers.

"Ast kiranann kair Soth-aran"

From that fingers a little spark ignites and then she moves her hand forwad and the spark gets away flying towards the boats and the dock. When reaching it, it explodes in a burst of flames that engulfes the boats and the goblins on it, sending them flying away and running into the woods or the water trying to suffocate the flames that persistently cover the wood of the boats and the docks.

Recovering her breath she says to Xorn.

"See my friend? now there are a few less goblins in Solace..."

She then sits in the boat, recovering for the toll that such magic takes on her body.

"I guess that'll do it" Escarin smiles across at Shan putting his hand on her shoulder "Rest for a bit, that must have cost you"

He goes back to scanning the treeline for more goblins.

Shan taps Escarin's hand in her shoulder and smiles back to him, saying nothing.

Geoff grunts and winces in pain as he breaks off the end of the arrow that is lodged in him. "Accursed goblins. Good work back there everyone. Anyone else get hurt? The staff is safe." He clutches it closer to his body while pressing his wound and looks towards to the unconscious Tomas, "So what's the story with this guy?

Xorn looks at Shan as she stands and throws back her hood. Seeing how much she has changed in the last five years for the first time, he groans a bit. Following the sparks, the flash of the fireball reflects in his large eyes. Turning back once the flames seem to die down he looks at Shan and seems to want to say something but decides against it.

"He looked like he might know something. He had a letter on him to, Kin has it." Xorn says to Geoff while nodding at the kender.

Geoff shakes his head, "To think fate would be in our favor by allowing us all to meet safely back in Solace after 5 years, only to find goblins and other unsavory people have taken over. We barely even had time to properly catch up on old times... although it seems you all have gained in skill since then."

He pours a bit of wine on his wound, takes a big gulp of it, and begins to attempt manipulating arrowhead out.

Seeing that Geoff is trying to heal himself, Shan sits at his side, helping him removing the arrowhead and cleaning the wound with fresh water from Crystalmir Lake. 

 She tries to help him but her hands shake too much to be of any help. She looks at Geoff embarrashed, and mutters “Sorry”

“We will catch up. We all regret that whole things of goblins and depictable characters in our home. “ she nods towards Tomas “This one was there from the begining though. A stupid five years ago and a stupid now. Be sure to tie him very tight.” She suggests to the others “and don’t be too gentle. Even stupids whould know that one should not make deals with goblins.” 

The arrows ceased. Goblins farther away howled in rage and ran forward. But by that time, Xorn's powerful strokes had carried the boat out of range.

"Good work!" Kinlin said heartily. Shanryar blinked and seemed to return to the world, then the mage sank forward. Escarin caught her and held her for a moment. Then Shanryar sat up and sucked in a deep breath, which caused him to cough.

"I'll be all right," she whispered, withdrawing from Escarin.

Alex looked at the mage. Raistlin had, indeed, gained in power and skill. 

The boat moved across the star-filled lake. The only sounds to be heard were the soft, rhythmic plashing of the oars in the water. Kinlin uncorked the wineskin, which Geoff had somehow retained on his wild dash.

Geoff sank deeper into his cape. The water made the cloth cling to him, and soon he was chilled and shivering.

He looked up into the starry heavens, then stiffened and caught her breath in alarm.

"What is it?" Alex asked, staring up.

The others in the boat, although they had not understood the exchange, heard Geoff's gasp and saw his eyes transfixed by something in the night sky.

Escarin poked his friend and said, "Shan, what is it? I don't see anything."

Shanryar sat up, cast back his hood. She searched the night sky. Then she stiffened, and her eyes widened. Reaching out with his thin hand, Shanryar clutched Escarin's arm, holding onto it tightly "Alex…" Shanryar wheezed, his breath nearly gone. "The constellations…"

"What?" Alex was truly startled  "What about the constellations?"

"Gone!" said Escarin catching.He took a deep breath, then spoke.

"The constellation known as the Queen of Darkness and the one called Valiant Warrior. Both gone. She has come to Krynn, Alex, and he has come to fight her. All the evil rumors we have heard are true. War, death, destruction…" His voice died.

"Don't get so worked up. It's only a bunch of stars." Kinlin said

"Only a bunch of stars," Alex repeated flatly. Xorn began to row again, pulling swiftly for the opposite bank.

Before noticing the missing constellations:

A few moments after hearing the explanation from Escarin; Geoff, cold and soaked, his eyes burning from days of sleeplessness, continues to look up at the heavens with surprise and alarm, "And I thought the day couldn't get much worse. Now evil prophecy being fulfilled... unbelievable. Whatever comes to pass, we'll contest it at every opportunity." 

He grits his teeth with determination and clutches his shoulders to warm himself up.

so what can we piece together so far / here take a look at this paper  / see if any of you can figure out what it is?

lets get to the other side / make camp / then find out what this scum knows

Staying quite warm from the exercise of rowing, Xorn observes  his old friends, trying to gauge just how much they have all changed over the five years. 

Looking down at Thomas, Xorn remembers the boy Thomas, always with a disparaging word for the Minotaur boy so far away from his home. These friends in the boat now with him were his grace, the reason he always regarded Solace so fondly. Returning his gaze back to Thomas, he Wonders to himself if it was actually his friends  that were his home and not Solace after all. 

Escarin looks back again to the shore as Xorn puts distance between them and the shore his magically enhanced vision illuminating the darkness to him. Satisfied that the danger had passed for now he turns to the direction they travelled. Remembering the caves he had explored in his youth he looks out for landmarks and tries to aid Xorn in his navigating. 

A chill wind began to blow across the lake. Storm clouds rolled across the sky from the north, obliterating the gaping black holes left by the fallen stars. The companions hunched down in the boat, pulling their cloaks tighter around them as the rain spattered down. Turros joined Xorn at the oars. He rowed in grim silence, occasionally muttering to himself.

"Xorn! There-between the great rocks to the left!" Escarin called out, pointing.

Xorn and Tyrros pulled hard. The rain made sighting the landmark rocks difficult and, for a moment, it seemed that they had lost their way in the darkness. Then the rocks suddenly loomed ahead.Xorn and Tyrros brought the boat around. Alex sprang out over the side and pulled it to shore. Torrents of rain lashed down. The companions climbed from the boat, wet and chilled. They had to lift Tomas out. Alex and Xorn hid the boat in the thick underbrush. Escarin led the rest up a rocky trail to a small opening in the cliff face.

Geoff looked at the opening dubiously. It seemed to be no more than a large crack in the surface of the cliff. Inside, however, the cave was large enough for all of them to stretch out comfortably.

"Nice home." Kinlin glanced around. "Not much in the way of furniture."

Escarin grinned at the kender. "It will do for the night. I don't think even Tomas will complain about this. If he does, we'll send him back to sleep in the boat!"

Alex

Having hidden the boat "What are we getting into here Xorn? I am, for the first time I think, at a bit of a lose." Wondering into the cave, Alex will look to see where Tomas is laying.

Since the discovery of the missing starts the wizard has been strangely silent. She leans agaisnt the rock wall near the entrance, her glance lost into the rain. 

When Alex passed near her she grabs his arm, stoping him. He noticed that her touch was warm, despite the rain and the cold night. 

“Alex” she mutterd in low vocie “what are we going to do with Tomas? I don’t like him and he is a traitor. He probably didn’t know who he was working for in the end, but he should know better to join goblins against the rest of Solace. If we let him be, he will give us away. We cannot risk that. The staff... the blue staff of Geoff. It has curative powers. Do you realize what thats mean? That’s why those goblins were looking for it. “ she was whispering her conversation with Alex meant to be private as when they were young and they used to plan the next steps of the plan “ We must keep it safe. But where is sage now?. I am afraid Alex. “ she looks out again “ if the prophecies are true all is going to change. Our world will never be the same. I am ok with that, it needed some changes after all. What afraids me is the changes it will bring to us... to... me...” she felt silent for a moment, touching her staff “ but that must be adressed in other moment. We should decide what to do with that healing staff. Don’t believe me? Ask Geoff to touch his wound with the staff and you’ll see by yourself.” 

"I believe you, I saw what it did in the inn. If I am honest with you, I am still trying to wrap my head around what is going on. As for Tomas, we can not let him go but I do not know if I can let someone kill him. Maybe we leave him tied up here in the cave. We were given this staff for a reason. The questions we need to answer are where did it come from and why do we have it?" Alex places his hands on is head as if trying to stop it from spinning.

"Leave him tied up in the cave Alex?  I suppose they might find him, but he may well just starve to death or be eaten by wild animals.. You are right about the staff where did it come from?  Geoff, Tyrros?  Can you enlighten us at all?"

Escarin paces around the cave, then stops for a while as if deep in thought.

"We should see whether he tells us what we want before we decide his fate, and we should make sure we do not speak of our plans for the future in front of him, otherwise we will have to kill him, we cannot risk giving ourselves away."

Xorn comes to the cave entrance shortly after Alex and sees Shan and him talking discreetly. He pauses for a while and considers the cave entrance wonder if he should remove his armor for the squeeze or risk getting stuck. After he hears Escarin from further in speak, Xorn clears his throat outside “Hmmmhmm. Alex, a little help here.” With Alex’s help, it takes much less time to remove his armor and he draws in his sizeable frame to squeeze through the entrance. 

Once inside, he looks around the cave, finding Thomas. “Well, we ready to do this? Kin, you said we can’t get nderstand the letter he had right? Let’s wake him up and find out. “

If he is included on the concerns of what to do with Stupid Thomas, “We will let him go eventually. We don’t kill people because they’re stupid. As long as he doesn’t know where we are going all will be fine. Since WE don’t know where we are going, that shouldn’t be a problem. Hah.” Xorn finishes work that chuckle.