Steve "Sir Duncan" Johnson
What year were you awarded your white belt?
I was brought into the KoEF in 1992 at the Duke of Glenndale
alongside Dave Dolph (Sir Callin) and Randy Gordon (Sir Randall the Light).
Who administered "the punch" and - be honest! -
did it hurt?
Sir Taurdehel, Knight Commander of the Knights of the
Realms, ran the ceremony for the knighting. I do not remember being punched,
but I think we each drank from a fancy chalice or bowl and of course we were
knighted with an actual sword (see image attached).
Whose belt did you wear until you got your own, and how was
this significant for you?
I was knighted as Sir Gunnar of Eagle's Rook and I wore the
belt of Isore, Shannon Slate's character after Prince Bob went away. I would
follow in Shannon's footsteps in many ways, forming and running a marshals'
guild, holding the events that would carry on the legacy of the Duke of
Glendale, and running the View From Valehaven for over 8 years. I never became
a Prince, much less a King, but I hope the work I did stayed true to the dreams
and aspirations of the community's founders. I always felt that my lineage both
went back to Jill Junkala (Dame Gil) and Shannon (Prince Bob), who were both
major influences on me in my early years in the Realms. It was incredibly significant
to me and I am honored to have had the opportunity to wear it.
Please describe your own belt's heraldry.
The heraldry on my belt is an old-school Rhiassan Lion (all lumpy like a rorschach test) on a red background. The stripes are just decorative.
Why did you choose that heraldry to represent you?
While my early KoEF belt showed Eagle's Rook heraldry, I
have played Sir Duncan of Rhiassa for over 2 decades. That nation's heraldry
adorns the belt. I suppose I could show both nations, but at this point it
wouldn't feel right. I am very, very proud of what Eagle's Rook has
accomplished and what they stand for but to pretend that I can 'own' any of
that would be presumptuous. Their accomplishments are their own and I would not
want to look like I was trying to take any credit for the great things they
have done. I don't even have an Eagle's Rook alt (hmm.. there's an idea!).
Rhiassa on the other hand I have been heavily involved in, even during the
years when I have been less active in the Realms.
Who did the artwork on your belt?
It's been a while so I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I
painted it myself.
What do you remember most about your knighting?
I remember how impressed I was with Taurdehel. He still
represents to me the ideal of how to comport yourself as a Knight. I was also
really honored to be standing alongside Dave and Randy. The three of us were
real movers and shakers back in the day and there was an era where each of us,
in our own way, were very important figures in the community. Being knighted
together helped to make a connection between us that will always mean something
to me. I don't know how they feel about it, but it's always meant a lot to me
to have been in their company on that day.
What does being a KoEF mean to you?
I was brought into the KoEF at a time when the KoEF was
overtly recognized as a stepping-stone to the Knights of the Realms. For that
reason, I have always felt that being a member is the second greatest honor one
can be given in our community. Other KoEF may find that offensive or elitist
but it's how I feel and I wouldn't pretend that I'm "right", just
that it is how I look at it. That said, my induction into the KoEF is probably
the single greatest moment of my Realms career. When I was made a Knight of the
Realms, the current Knight Commander had told us ahead of time that we were
being considered and that we would be inducted if we "did something
impressive". While that approach may work for some people, it robbed me of
the thrill and surprise of being called up out of the blue before your peers to
be given such a huge honor. My KoEF knighting was a surprise and a thrill and I
will always remember how special it felt.
As for actually *being* a KoEF, that is another matter. The
honor of being recognized as a role model and someone young people can look to
as an example of how to play the game and behave in the community is a huge
responsibility. It inspired me to "up my game" and try to do more at
a point where I was already one of the most active members of the community. It
lit a fire in me that probably resulted in my taking up the legacy of Glenndale
and holding over a decade of Queen of Hearts events.
On a darker note, it also at times made me feel like I
should always fight at a certain level and that internalized pressure on a few
occasions led me to behave in ways that didn't exactly cover myself in glory.
In time I got better at dealing with that. Being a "white belt"
doesn't mean you won't have bad days and bad fights, but in the long run it
means more to lose with honor and dignity than to miss shots or get pissed off
at yourself for not fighting as well as you think you should. I still struggle
with that at times. It's possible that intense drive to succeed is both why I
was able to accomplish so much over the years, and also why I would
occasionally exhibit such impatience at my own failings on the field of combat.
Hopefully most of you have never seen that side of me, but trust me that it's
there.
The thing is, being a KoEF doesn't mean you never fail or
have a bad day. It means that when you do, you hopefully know how to deal with
it afterwards. You make amends. You apologize if there is something to
apologize for. You learn and you grow.
Neither the Knights of the Eternal Flame, nor the Knights of
the Realms represent the end of a journey.
I think they are people who you can look to to learn how to
better make your own journey a more successful one. Hopefully at some point I
or others in our order will be able to do that for you.
