Welcome to the forums, here are a few fun facts about the game:
As far as alliances go there are a couple big empires consisting of more than one, and some well known stand alone alliances. For a newcomer I wouldn't advise jumping straight into a perma-war alliance, eg. FS (mine).
I wouldn't go for:
Empires
FSF - FS/FP/CS
DDE - TDD/DoB/DoC
OE - Delta/Omega/Titans
Alliances
MaYHeM
Ricos Warlords
All these empires/alliances are currently at war, and I personally do not think a newcomer would enjoy that setting. Sure war can and is fun, the problem with this current war is that its set to never end, and it's far less than civil on both sides. A LOT of hate.
HVE is where I first joined, back when it wasn't an empire, and I highly recommend it, HIGHLY recommend it, great bunch of people with lots of help to offer. If you need me to I can help you get in touch with the right people.
As some people have said, hop onto new grounds, after 2 months or so you will be given a reasonable account on the main server, more than 2 ascensions under its belt and a good, strong newcomer account. I would ALSO play your main account, this will get you used to the mechanics, you can join an alliance and make new friends while you wait for your newgrounds account etc.
In case you need the link:
www.newgrounds.gatewars.com
Good luck, I have been playing for over 5 years a lot have been playing longer, It has kept me entertained for that long which is more than can be said for a bunch of games out there. Don't get disheartened when bad stuff happens, all damage can be repaired/rebuilt, the real fun is the chance to get even