Hi, for starters I think I should say that even though I only started playing in Vailor (Last map). I think villain RP has changed quite a bit since Aegis.
It's not as easy nor desirable to be a villain anymore as RP is a lot more balanced in terms of combat and I believe the magics are too.
We're on Axios now too and its really quite big which also causes villains to shy away a bit.
The Undead VS Ascended is still a thing but its just like a pest fighting another group and most of the server ignores it unless a group of Ghouls come to attack a random place every week or so.
And yeah, if you wanted to do events and stuff like that I'd recommend applying for ET Actor. The PEX helps a huge amount and it is generally accepted that an ET decides the flow of RP in an event, compared to when a player creates their own small ones. It also gives you access to a wide range of different possibilities the normal player couldn't really do.
If you want to find out about lore click the big "LORE" button up top, it's easy to navigate and you can find almost anything you need know.
EDIT: Overall things have improved in their own ways and RP is a bit more serious and easier to get into, the general quality of it is much better as well. I'd suggest going with a normal character into Axios, and just RP for a couple of weeks until you get fully used to how things are, then make further steps to cause havoc. Feel free to speak to me if you have anything to ask.