"Y'know," he says, with the sort of air that implies that there is a whole, huge story behind that, that he's not going to get into, "that kind of used to be my whole life. I was practically raised on magical study, tryin' ta figure out ways to undue that mess. Guess I..." And he pauses to snicker, like there's something funny about what he's thinking or saying. "Guess I kind of got over it? Probably just not cut out for it, y'know...?"

Which, isn't the impression you'd get from the ease with which he's messing with this Aether equipment, but whatever. He continues, a little bit more soberly.

"It was a spell. Obviously. The barrier. You can come in, but you can't get out. Not even if you're a human. Dunno the specifics - happened thousands of years ago."