I saw the recent IntCheck post for this and thought I'd poke my head in. I'm getting Dragon Age vibes from the setting, mostly where mages are concerned. 
I do have a question, though - it's stated that "Without tomes, a mage is just as useful as an archer without a bow or a soldier without his blade." What if someone is born with the aptitude, but never in his/her life handles a tome? Would they, or anyone else, even know about their abilities? If Richard is born with magical aptitude, but happens to be the son of a poor peasant and spends his days plowing fields, is none the wiser?