up to the point at the beginning of the world of ruin?

I understand the whole War of the Magi and the goddesses but could someone please explain to me more about the present storyline and what's going on mostly with the empire. You know, their whole search for the espers but for some reason already have access to magic for their Magitek Armors and stuff of that nature. Just need a few things cleared up before i begin to play again.