Yes, pretty much. Many of the Ancients have either died off (typically through war or combat or some other manner, as they are immortal but not invincible) or have become dormant, leaving only the actual force of their powers as remnants of their existence. Some have also been locked away, which is actually part of the main storyline. There's a long and complicated history behind it that I've developed over the years. I've had this in my head for a long time, haha.
Yes, I can understand that completely. As for the BA, yes I'm quite involved there. I write a lot there, and I'm on the Council; we basically run the joint, Approving the characters there and things like that. (If you're interested, feel free to take a loook at ome of my characters
here. My normal username is Stryder Aedernis, by the way.) Even so, I think you should join! There are very few people (except those with no life, like me) who are active
all the time in the BA, and everyone is forgiving of those who have time constraints. I've had RPs that last for months and months, so time isn't usually an issue.