Pride of the Emperor
The Pride of the Emperor was the Flagship of Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children.
Richly decorated inside and out, with armour plates inlaid with gold being it's most obvious extra-normal feature. Built in the shipyards of Jupiter, it was a little over 160 years old at the beginning of the Horus Heresy. Hand-crafted to exact specifications, it's construction took twice as long as that of comparable vessels, and was overseen by the Fabricator-General of Mars himself. Such honour was paid to it as it was seemingly intended to be the Flagship of the Primarch of the III Legion from the moment it was laid down.
The main passageway of the vessel was the Triumphal Way; a wide processional, tiled in cool marble and supported with onyx columns. The columns were inlaid with gilt lettering that recounted the victories of the Legion, and statues of Legion heroes lined the walls. In between the statues were later added paintings created by the remembrancer contingent present with the 28th Expeditionary Fleet. Interspersed with the statues at fixed intervals were an honour guard of Emperor's Children Space Marines, each armed with a throwing spear. The Triumphal Way terminated at the Phoenix Gate; the main entryway to the council chamber known as the Heliopolis.
The Phoenix Gate was a large bronze gateway guarded by more Emperor's Children. Upon the doors was engraved a mural showing the Emperor presenting Fulgrim with the symbol of the Imperial Eagle. Passing through it, one arrived in the Heliopolis, a large circular chamber designed as the main meeting room of the Legion officers. Also lined with pale marble walls, black terrazo flooring and supported by pillars and bronze statues, the Heliopolis also featured a heavily mosaiced ceiling that dripped purple and gold banners. The centre of the domed roof featured a window port that allowed starlight to penetrate the room when the illuminators were doused. Oil-burning censers were spaced throughout the room. Rows of benches were arranged in a circular formation, in a banked series that provided seating for two thousand. A chair of black marble sat in the very centre of the room; the seat of the Primarch. The closer one sat to the floor and the Primarch, the higher one's percieved rank and status.
