Hello all. I'm returning to AL.

As some of you (but not many) may know, I'm a 16 cap player. I was formerly known as Verzy, and some of my good friends were Ctf, Love (the old one), and Bless! I quit around 21 cap because I didn't really enjoy the game. I was not around STS games for a long while and decided to give AL a chance, so here I am. With my return, I have a few questions to ask! Some may sound silly, but since I haven't been around the game in so long, I'd like it if you answer my questions, even if they are obvious for some. Thanks!

1.) What are gems? How do they work and affect your experience? Do they make a big difference?
2.) What is the crafting system?
3.) What is the orange, fiery-type glow I see around a lot of characters?
4.) How do I make money, because I don't have any? Is there a merch system? Is merching or farming preferred in this game?
5.) How long will it take to get to 40, playing around an hour a day?
6.) Any good guilds to join for not "brand new" players, but a guild that accepts the old ones even if they are kind of a low level?
7.) What are some good pvp levels? (preferably not the boosted to crap ones, like level 6)

Thanks everyone for the help.
-Bro