Continuing & New PCs

For new PCs brought in after the game switches to Mondays, the easiest thing would be for new PCs to have some connection to one of the two continuing PCs.  Both are Altanian (reddish skinned barbarian human) Fighters:

1. Varek of the Tigerclaw clan, a wandering former pirate and mercenary who recently served as the head of Parre of Bisgen's guardsmen, and has been leading raids against both Zehir snake cultists and the Arang-Tok orcs, and  

2. Rameses of the Mountain Lion Clan, from a long line of Altanian noble chiefs, descended from Ral Hoth-Nor who led the Altanian auxiliary forces at the Battle of Gedden when the Empire of Nerath was destroyed by the gnoll horde of White Ruin.  Rameses has been accompanying Varek, he recently learned of the 'Neo-Nerathi' who blame his clan for the fall of the empire.

A new PC could be related to one of them, been a pirate or mercenary alongside Varek, or been one of Parre's soldiers.

Edit - new PCs

1. Nathir the Red (Jason) - archer/guide from Renth, a red-haired human of mostly Tharbrian ancestry.
2. Arvias (Jon) - far-travelled Avalonian human Sorcerer, wild mage.
3. Garvas (sp?) (Damian) - Gishmesh Hexblade, equally far-travelled.

Behind the Curtain - NPC Demographics

Cross-Posted from ENW.
I take a very 'numerocentric' or objective approach as DM, I like the sense of progression it brings. If anything I think it is an easier approach in 4e, because PCs power up more slowly than in prior editions, and it's easy to create workable demographics from the start where eg 'normal people' exist throughout the Heroic Tier range.
One thing I did in my Wilderlands campaign (Southlands) was to set a 'baseline mook' value at 5th level minion. This was done with an eye to keeping such useable throughout the Heroic Tier, allows for eg 'experienced mooks' who are 9th level minions (so twice the XPV) without straining disbelief, and fits well with the monster demographics in the 4e Monster Manual and Monster Vault. I think it helped a lot that I started the campaign at 3rd level.


Some sample demographics IMC:

Typical peasant farmer or townsman - minion-2 Human Rabble
Orc commoner - minion-4 Drudge 
Typical Altanian barbarian nomad 'bravo' - minion-5 Skirmisher
Human Lackey - minion-7 (eg cultist)
Typical Altanian barbarian 'warrior' (Lodge member) - minion-8 soldier
Orc warrior - minion-9

"Standard monsters" are typically 5 levels lower, but fit in the same sort of scale, eg: 

Human common Bandit: skirmisher-2 = min-7
Orc Raider: skirmisher-3 = minion-8
Orc Berserker: brute-4 = minion-9
Altanian or Orc Reaver: skirmisher-5 = min-10
Altanian Sword Knight: soldier-8 = min-13

I'll typically mix up 4th level brute orc berserkers with 9th level minion orc warriors rather than treat them as being the same monster, but that will depend on circumstances - eg in my previous campaign when I ran a mass battle with dozens & dozens of combatants I made the human knights min-8 (instead of soldier-2) and the gnolls min-10 (instead of skirmisher-5) for convenience & playability.

Major Dates of the Wilderlands

Time is commonly reckoned in BCCC - Balozkinar's Corrected Commoner's Calendar, a dating system established around 3970 BCCC by the eponymous Overlord of the City State and widely adopted throughout the Pazidan Peninsula.  Viridistan and areas under Viridian influence use "Year of the City" which dates from the founding of Viridistan is BCCC-100 years.

BCCC

-2927 (est): Rise of the Dragon Lords in ancient Oricha.

-2391 (est): War of the Pious and Philosophers; creation of the Dragonborn in Oricha.  The Pious are victorious, Science and Logic are banished from the Wilderlands.

-600: The Dragon Empire is engaged in a devastating century-long war with the Demon Empires of the far south.

-575: The Uprising of Bondorr & Ghinor.  Altanians, Dragonborn and proto-Ghinorans join to bring about the fall of the Empire of the Orichalan Dragon Lords.

-540: Rise of the Ghinoran Successor States.

101: Founding of Viridistan.

500: Founding of the Empire of Kelnore by Krieg the Elder.

1000: Rise of the Dragonborn Empire of Arkhosia in Oricha.

1500: The Sorcerors of Turath, a Ghinoran city-state in eastern Altanis, drive out the Empire of Kelnore from Pazidan.  Founding of the Empire of Bael Turath.

2500: War between the Empires of Bael Turath and Arkhosia culminates in the Rain of Glorious Doomfire, destroying both empires.

3075: Legendary founding of the City State of the Invincible Overlord by Larsandrow Longsword and his allies.

3227: Founding of Warwik by exiles from the early City State.

3700: Founding of Nera by exiles from the City State, rise of the Empire of Nerath in Altanis.

3970: Uncovering of the Calendar Obelisk, creation of BCCC dating system by Ralibarn the Wise.

4149: Gnolls cross the Plateau of Bendigroth and enter the lands of the City State, beginning of the Gnoll Times.

4187: Gnolls under White Ruin pass through the lands of the Shield Maidens and enter Nerathi territory. 

4197: Battle of Gedden, army of Nerath under King Elidyr destroyed by White Ruin, sack of Nera.

4200: Battle of the Line - Gnoll attack on Bisgen turned back by Cormarrin.  End of the Gnoll Times.

4434: Present day.

_________________________

Ancient Empires of Altanis - Boundaries

Empire of Nerath (ca 3700-4200 BCCC): Founded by exiled Alryan nobles from the City State of the Invincible Overlord.  Northern boundary at the River Greyrush & Lake of Temple Deeps, abutting Tharbrian, City State and Skandik territories.  Extending south over the Ghinarian hills, beyond the Lake of Visions into northern Arkhosia/Oricha.

Bael Turathi ‘Empire of Glorious Doomfire’ (ca 1500-2500 BCCC)– founded by Ghinoran colonists who interbred with the indigenous Altani, eventually carving out a powerful sorcerous state from the decaying empire of Kelnore.  Interbred with demons to create the Demonbrood/Tieflings. Battleplain Gwalion (Viridistan/Tharbrians) in the NW, Plain of Cairns and Sea Rune (Amazons) in the NE.  South to the Ghinarian Hills and the dismal swamps SW of the Castellan Mountains, abutting the territories of Arkhosia.  Destroyed in war with Arkhosia by the backlash from the Rain of Colourless Fire which annihilated Bael Turath, then by subsequent Altanian slave uprising.

Dragonborn Empire of Arkhosia (ca 1000-2500 BCCC) – Founded by the Dragonborn, a race created as slave warriors by the Orichalan Dragon Lords.  From the southern borders of the Turathi Doomfire Empire, south across Oricha and Isle of the Blest, with outpost colonies in Ghinor beyond the southern sea.  Capital Arkhosia in northern Isle of the Blest and other cities along the Straits of Oricha were destroyed by the Turathi Doomfire, eliminating Arkhosia in a single blow.

Empire of Kelnore (ca 500-1500 BCCC) – Founded by Northmen who copied and adapted Ghinoran culture.  Extent as described in WoHF, across all Altanis/Pazidan and far to the NE.

Ghinoran Successor States (ca -500 to +300 BCCC) - arose in the aftermath of the destruction of the Orichalan Dragon Lords.  Ghinoran city-states spread across Ghinor, Oricha, and the Ghinarian Hills, with outposts far to the north and west. 

Empire of the Orichalan Dragon Lords (-2927 to -575 BCCC) – The only major power to survive the War of the Pious and Philosophers which destroyed the power of science across the Wilderlands.  The Dragon Lords were humanoid entitities who bound the power of the mighty Dragon Kings to their will.  At its height, the empire extended across all Pazidan, the Antillian Peninsula, and beyond, far into Ghinor to the south, and north across the Winedark Sea.  Following a disastrous century-long war with the Demon Empires of the far south, Orichala was destroyed by a combined slave uprising of the Altani tribes under Bondorr (now god of swords), the Dragonborn slave warriors, and to the south the proto-Ghinorans under Prince Ghinor.



Altan Federation(ca -4000? to -2391 BCCC) - This almost unknown technological and peaceful culture predated the rise of the Dragon Lords, and was destroyed by them before and during the War of the Pious and the Philosophers. Originators of the Warforged.  There are indications that the Altan in their desperation may have allied with the alien Markab.  Probably was roughly coterminous with modern Altanian territories in Pazidan, north to the Roglaras/City State territories.