Shadow Earth was strengthened Corwin's continuous presence for over five centuries and Florimel's half-time residence for at least of three of them. Earth is very real.

When Corwin made his own Pattern the central images were of Paris, France, Shadow Earth of eighty years previous. As a side effect the Jewel reconfigured Earth to match -- partially. No people vanished despite the three-fold increase in Earth's population. Instead there were three closely linked Earths, one a facsimile of Corwin's favorite year, one like to twenty years prior to that and one like to twenty years after.

Flora's elaborate array of companies, agents, pocketed politicians, etc. shattered. Many retained dual memories of their previous lives and moved to contact one another. Due to time dilation Flora was in Chaos for five years. Upon her return she took up the post of Royal Trump Artist. She gave her people on the Earths as much time as she could and her son Mykal took one of the Earths into his own care.

Recently it was discovered that there was a link between Corwin's realm of Argent and the Earths. Random severed it with the Jewel and the three Earths collapsed back into one, with some changes. Technology had advanced by strange leaps, probably due to influence from nearby shadows Flora or Mykal used for special services. A crazy dictator had access to a few nuclear weapons. Particularly unpleasant diseases had got out of hand. The proliferation of data processing would make it much more difficult to keep one's immortality secret from governments, biotech companies and sorcerers. Fur had become unfashionable.

Something has to be done.