Campaign Timeline

It is 5 and a half years Amber Time after the end of the Pattern Fall war and Random has reigned as Regent of Amber for 5 years. Merlin, Corwin's Son has barely taken the Throne of Chaos. As is recorded in Corwins Chronicle the Pattern Fall war ended with Brand and Dierdre's fall into the Abyss and the arrival of Oberon's Funeral Cortege.
Around Corwin's Pattern and Drasil, the sappling of Ygg planted by Corwin a great castle has been constructed. Castle Carnelian is a cross between a 15^th century European fortress and a 21^st century football stadium fully enclosing Drasil, despite the fact that the tree is now mature and some 30m in height. The roof of the inner bailey, which can be closed in times of need is still some 10m above Drasil's uppermost branches. The inner bailey itself is some 170m in length and 135m in width with 25m walls and occupies the western end of the outer bailey. The outer bailey is 700m end to end and 350m wide with 15m walls. At the Eastern end of the inner bailey is the keep, 100m in diameter and 70m high. Every 200m along the outer bailey wall and every 100m along the inner bailey wall is a round tower. The towers in the outer bailey wall are 25m in diameter and 35m in height whilst those in the inner baily wall are 35m in diameter and 50m in height. In the center of the southern wall of the outer bailey is the gatehouse 200m in width and 45m in height. Access to the inner bailey is via the keep only.

In Corwin's Shadow Earth the date is 17^th January 2004. Merlin was last on Earth in June 2003 and Corwin in January 1995. In June 2003 Florimel discovered Corwin had a daughter on Earth and took her to Amber to introduce her to her birthright. Her name is Cordelia Chan. She knows she has a half-brother and he knows he has a half-sister but they've never been introduced (Merlin had a few problems at the time).
The time flow on Corwin's shadow Earth and that in Benedict's Avalon is 1.5:1 in relation to Amber. In respect of the Courts the ratio is 10:1 and at Castle Carnelian the ratio is 4:1. For other possible shadow realms the ratios are as below.

Shadow Earth (Atlantis - 1000 BC) 0.0005 Shadow Earth (Ancient Greece - 300 BC) 0.0007 Shadow Earth (Roman Empire - 50AD) 0.0337 Shadow Earth (Mongol Empire - 1250) 0.94 Shadow Earth (Japanese Shogun - 1600) 1.2 Shadow Earth (Napoleonic War - 1810) 1.35 Shadow Earth (American Civil War - includes Deadlands 1876) 1.4 Shadow Earth (First World War - 1915) 1.43 Shadow Earth (Second World War - 1940) 1.45 Shadow Earth (Korean World War - 1952) 1.46 Shadow Earth (Vietnam World War - 1970) 1.47 Shadow Earth (Falklands World War - 1982) 1.48 Shadow Earth (Gulf World War - 1992) 1.49 Shadow Earth (Chaos Earth™ - Palladium - 2098) 1.57 Shadow Earth (After the Bomb® - Palladium - 2020) 1.51 Shadow Earth (Rifts® Earth - Palladium - 2387) 1.79 (AD&D world or equivalent - 1600 AD equivalent) 2.0 (Palladium RPG®) 1.5

I suggest that the time ratio for most characters is between 1.5:1 and 4:1. This will put them far enough out in Shadow to have not heard of either Amber or the Courts. They may have heard of Carnelian but they’ve never been there!