Chapter 69: A Gift From The Heavens

''Theodora Porphyrogenita (AD 980 – 15 April AD 1068) was a Byzantine Empress whose rule typically marks the beginning of the Dragon Era in most histories. Born into the Macedonian Dynasty, which had ruled the Empire since AD 867, and the niece of the popular emperor, Basil II, she was the final ruler of that dynasty; upon her death, the empire fell into a period of decline from which it never truly recovered. Noted as highly intelligent, capable, and possessing an extremely strict moral character, she spent the majority of her rule attempting to repair the damage inflicted on the empire by the mismanagement of her immediate predecessors. During the nearly twenty-six years of her reign, she disciplined the feuding nobility and blocked numerous abuses. However, her reign was also marked by considerable strife due to the growing chaos and conflict of the Dragon Era…''

—Encyclopedia Norlandia, 7th Edition, AD 1642, Edinburgh, Scotland

Foreshadowing
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Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph provides a brief biography of Empress Theodora, mentioning that she tried to repair the damage caused by her predecessors. The chapter shows her coronation and her first order is to make the structure of the dragon-riding unit more efficient since she was unimpressed with Michael V's organisation.

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