Ah, the Ancients. Now that was a query that Ba'al was able and willing to entertain, even if his answer may not be quite as interesting as Sorin was expecting. They had their own...unique philosophy, after all, and his presence here would indicate that they either didn't care about the Viewer messing with their reality, they were complicit in it, or they weren't powerful enough to stop it, which was alarming indeed. Well, there was no way to know, and he doubted he would get an answer from them, so he dismissed that to focus on the task at hand.

He smiled knowingly as he began. "The Ancients were the first iteration of intelligent life in our galaxy, though they came from another. They seeded life throughout the stars, nurtured and cultivated civilizations, and built great works such as City-Ships and a network of devices we call 'Stargates' that allow travel between planets in an instant. So yes, comparatively I would say that they were very powerful."

He sighed as he crested another rock on the trail they took. "However, are we are left with are relics, such as the Stargate Network. The Ancient civilization vanished several thousand years ago, interbreeding with the humans of Earth and becoming lost to time. The vast majority though attained Ascension, leaving behind their mortal bodies to become being of pure energy on another plane of existence. They're still there, but they value free will and independence, so they don't interference in the affairs of us mere mortals much." Even if it was a problem that they had left behind. But he wasn't about to mention that to Sorin.