They do talk a lot about the world literally breaking - they say it did before. Sort of a cycle. But so far it's been more a rotting darkness swallowing the land. They call it the Blight. Only in one corner of the world, but...

[Mat shrugs. Up until a handful of months ago, it was all stories and ideas and things that were happening far away and had nothing to do with him. The Dark One was something to scare one another with, little thought given to the fact he was real - he was sealed away, after all. Only not so deep as to be unable to poison the land, apparently.

Well, it's all in better hands than his, now.]

I...don't quite know either of those things. What in the world can you condition air to do?