NPC idea

[Cain]

NPCs are = to quest givers

Quest rewards are = to either cosmetic changes to the character that would otherwise be unavailable (no ageing, changes of a character trait maybe, or rerolling base stats without the penalty of losing xp earned and forcing people to earn more xp in the process, etc) and/or points off a tech purchase or custom tech purchase.

Some NPCs could = real player's old characters. This would encourage roleplaying between vets and normal players. Vets roleplays wouldn't have to be long, they'd just be story direction, dialogue, or otherwise simple things. This, in theory, would encourage better roleplaying done by non-vet characters because of the interaction. Beside the warm fuzzy feeling of being a mentor the Vet would gain XP at a normal rate for their roleplays.

If the second idea is appealing and the timeline won't work, Alec, the former sage of Kajin Rala could have discovered the serum for eternal life in his timeline, and given it to the old characters that sought it out. He did build Android Ultimate, so it wouldn't be that far fetched.