In the past decade the Neighbor wars have ended in Western Acaes without much having changed. The world is mostly in an uneasy peace at this time, with not having changed in the past centuries powers currently in ascension.
Most power in the human world is currently held by the Great Houses. These houses each were the houses whose founders were granted a DragonMark at the beginning of the current age approximately 1000 years ago. They have parlayed this exceptional magic ability into power over many facets of life. While there have long been enough bastard and small members of the lines leaving the house that magic users do appear in the common human population, the Houses work to stifle them when at all possible. Or recruit them. Starting point is Darbury, in the Porvince of Midburland