Rik Marsten

CHARACTER CLASS: Ghoul (to Eva Silvestri) BIRTH NAME: Patrick Shayne Lewis DATE OF BIRTH: July 31, 1968 HEIGHT: 6' 0" WEIGHT: 200 pounds

In one instant, Rik Marsten's life made a 180 degree turn.

Up until 1985, he was on the fast track to a life in prison. He had dropped out of school the year before mainly because it no longer challenged him. His father long gone, his mother working 3 jobs... he was pretty much on his own.

At least he had his Brothers on the street looking out for him. Together they ruled the 'hood. Killing came easy to him. One: He knew he'd never get caught. Two: If he did, he was still a minor. Then they received word of someone new in their turf. Some money man, Hassan alSelah, had bought an entire building and armed it tighter than Fort Knox. Better yet, rumor had it that he installed his latest honey in the penthouse.

Not one to resist a challenge, Rik decided to take the place. He and his guys cased the place for weeks, searching for any in. Then one night he found it. Initially, he had cursed his luck of being himself. Yet the thrill of going solo filled him.

He made it through defusing trap after trap. Whoever had set up the security knew what he was doing but Rik intuitively foresaw the overall layout. He finally made it to the penthouse safe; victory was close at hand. This would secure his place with the Brothers... no, the whole city.

The next instant, a life-changing moment, he was on the floor. His arm throbbed in sudden and complete pain. All the trashings he had ever gotten in his life had never enveloped him so totally. A female voice reached him through the throes of agony. "Well, young man, you are good indeed. But why settle for just the contents of the safe? If you are patient and diligent, I can offer you so much more than its contents. You interested?"

He nodded if only to escape this place. He didn't want to see the size of the guy who took him down. Even if the woman's voice intrigued him. He opened his eyes and focused. There was no man! Just a little slip of a woman bending over him. His brain refused to process the obvious; there was no humanly way possible she snuck up on him but less delivered blows that powerfully and that quickly.

Then the woman grabbed him by the throat and tossed him in a nearby couch. "Are you truly interested?" she asked.

Rik scanned the room once again. More money was spent just on decorating this one room than his mother would make in her lifetime . He nodded, "If it means living like this, yes."

The woman chuckled, "You have a lot to learn, Patrick Shayne Lewis. Yes I know who you are. And before your lifetime is over, you will learn more than you ever thought possible. However, such knowledge comes with a price. Here on out Patrick Shayne Lewis is dead. Don't worry; I will see that your mother is well provided for. Are you still interested?"

Rik, not being a fool, jumped at the opportunity but quickly he slipped into unconsciousness. His next waking moment he was on a plane and had a newspaper on his chest, The woman nowhere in sight. The headline of the local section caught his eye: "Gang Leader Suspected Dead." He was reading his own obituary! It hadn't been a nightmare. Upon landing, he was told he had received a scholarship to a private school.

Rik threw himself in his studies. Unlike before, every subject intrigued him. He wasn't sure how or when he would ever use it all but he intended to learn everything he could. Seven years later at his graduation, he had started to regret that his mother couldn't be there when his head instructor approached him. He had been selected for further training with one of the experts in the field. Was he interested? ::Again with that question.:: He again jumped at the opportunity. His instructor opened the door and revealed his new benefactor. His jaw dropped.

It was the woman who had taken him down so easily seven years before. She extended her hand, "Patrick Shayne Lewis, we meet again. I'm Eva Silvestri and we have to do something about that name if you're to come back to LA with me. Not to worry about for old associates, they all dead. And your mother has been well taken care of since your 'death'. She no longer lives in the city."

He took the name 'Rik Marsten' and was provided with an impeccable background no law enforcement officer would question. In the four years since that day, he has traveled with Eva as her protege, her confidant, and more importantly a friend she could trust beyond all else.