Something Is Rotten In the State of Amber…

Chaos has attacked and been repelled by the guns of Avalon, but Amber's rule, claimed by Corwin, remains in contention. Dara has walked the Pattern and proclaimed that "Amber will be destroyed!" And though a Death Curse remains poised to strike, Eric has not delivered it; spending his life force, leaching it away into the Jewel of Judgment, he is a shattered man, bedridden and soon to die — a state's hero in repose. The reconciliation between Eric and Corwin, if it exists, is not a public affair — yet. Speculation abounds, and the Regency still technically remains in Eric's name, though Corwin carries out its duties as fits the popular consensus. It is rumored Eric seeks to name an Heir before he passes with his Curse on his lips — and at any rate it is certain that that heir is not yet his brother Corwin, for we would have heard of it by now.

And what of Amber herself — the city, the lands, and Arden beyond? In many places it is a smoking ruin, a warzone gone dormant. Civil unrest is common, and fear touches the eyes of those who walk the streets. War is not a clean thing, and Chaos was not repelled cleanly; agents within the city abound, cloaked and daggered, while fresh horrors worse than any of shadow now stalk the wilds. Julian's armor tarnishes further each day with a new ichor of some dire Chaotic beast.

But even with the uniting influence of a common foe, Amber's native politics remain heated as always. The fresh ravages of war have put strains on Amber's noble Houses like none other in recent memory; in some cases, Houses squabble viciously over the scraps of once-whole things. And with the Regency in quiet contention, the old balance of power — once respected by Eric (though some would say he played it like a fiddle) — is poised for an upset in the face of Corwin's brash, fresh, unconventional ideas.

We live in interesting times.

Where We've Been

The first two books are summarized on Wikipedia:
Nine Princes in Amber
The Guns of Avalon

Canonical references can be looked up on the Google book search for the Great Book of Amber (all 10 books in a single omnibus).

The closing lines of Roger Zelazny's The Guns of Avalon:

The laughter ceased. Dara's altered voice rang out. "Lord Corwin, are you liege of Amber now?"
From somewhere, I managed a reply. "For all practical purposes," I said.
"Good! Then behold your nemesis!"
"Who are you? What are you?"
"You will never know," she said. "It is just exactly too late now."
"I do not understand. What do you mean?"
"Amber," she said, "will be destroyed." And she vanished.
"What the hell," said Random then, "was that?"
I shook my head. "I do not know. I really do not know. And I feel that it is the most important thing in the world that we find out."
He gripped my arm. "Corwin," he said. "She — it — meant it. And it may be possible, you know."
I nodded. "I know."
"What are we going to do now?"
I resheathed Grayswandir and turned back toward the door. "Pick up the pieces," I said. "I have what I thought I always wanted within my grasp now, and I must secure it. And I cannot wait for what is to come. I must seek it out and stop it before it ever reaches Amber."
"Do you know where to seek it?" he asked.
We turned up the tunnel.
"I believe it lies at the other end of the black road," I said.

What's Happened Since

This is deliberately very brief, focusing solely on salient facts that a new player might need to know about how our setting differs from our jumping-off point from the novels.

• Eric, alive but comatose, was removed from the battlefield, and returned to his chambers. Heavily guarded by a variety of factions, he nonetheless was watched by Gerard day and night.

• Corwin laid claim to the Regency, in Oberon's name, in a meeting of his siblings and the Dukes of Amber that somehow turned into an event that drew not only the rest of the royal family but much of the nobility of Amber as well.

• Gerard arrived late to that meeting, and announced that, while he was away changing for the event, Eric disappeared from his quarters. A hunt ensued, but Eric was not found (although myriad clues remain to puzzle over).

• A mysterious assassin made a failed attempt on Corwin's life.

• Corwin granted Letters of Patent, officially recognizing some of Oberon's grandchildren.

• Damage from the defense of Amber, versus the last deadly push of the forces of Chaos, has been cleaned up; the main pass between Arden and Garnath has been cleared of a landslide, and the bridge across the Oisen has been rebuilt.

• No new incursion has come down the Black Road, but Amber continues to clean up the Road's predations in the Golden Circle.

What's Happening Now

As of January 1st, 2008, here's a sample of some of the global-level plot threads that are currently active. The information given here is deliberately extremely vague. If you haven't been told about it on-screen or in a gossip, you don't know about it IC. Much of what's given here is not staff plot — it's either player-generated, or an element introduced by the staff or GMs in response to a specific player request.

• Corwin's regency is not entirely secure. Although no one has emerged to openly oppose him, he is still consolidating power, and his best allies may yet turn out to be his worst enemies.

• Chaos is not Amber's only powerful enemy. Something else seems to have been responsible for Eric's disappearance, and the attempt to assassinate Corwin.

• Eric's disappearance resulted in a great many discoveries — among them, a secret room in the royal palace, an ancient map, strange dead mice, some Trumps of interest, notable marks upon the Black Road, and a significant encounter in Tir.

• The failed assassination of Corwin also has clues of significance — murders in the city, the genesis of a gun, an unusual knife, and an extremely odd assassin among them.

• A delegation from Rebma has come to Amber. It may be continuing secret discussions once held between Eric and Moire.

• Vialle has disappeared into a mirror, possibly a victim of an artifact from Cibola called the Eyes of Cxaktul… or possibly the victim of something else entirely.

• Cibola is about to gift Amber with an enormous, legendary emerald called the Star of Tula. If it's not intercepted and stolen…

• Kitezh is attempting to recover several artifacts of significance, which were lost and may have been found.

• Something has poisoned an ancient creature of power which calls itself the River God.