Three Musketeers??? Casting Call

[TheScarletBlade]

The idea is not to make a traditional version of the story but an alternate one that has a twist or two in it. The main twist for the story is that the three musketeers: Athos,Porthos and Aramis are all females. Obviously that is radically different from the real book but I figure that the story is going to be unique if those three are really bad ass women yet d'Artagnan is a male. So not only does he end up on some epic quest to save France from another war with England,he ends up in the company of three women who are bad ass,beautiful and extremely deadly with a sword, while all the while falling for the lady in waiting of the queen,so its going to be one hell of whirlwind of an adventure for our young hot headed swordsmen. There are going to be some of the other more important side character roles open to some men: Like the villain of the story, the Cardinal. I would like it to loosely follow the story but it can't exactly be like a pure storyline because of the obvious changes but I am sure you know what I mean. What I am looking for is a minimum is four writers to play the musketeers and one to play the cardinal, writers who would be interested in seeing where the thread idea goes. The Following list and brief description (to be modified by their writers later) below is of the open characters for the thread and any descriptive writer is welcome to PM for any of the open positions at any time:

d'Artagnan of Gascony: d'Artagnan grew up in the area of Gascony in France,son of a former musketeer and her husband. Growing up on farm,he was raised being loyal to king and country,his highest aspiration in life was to become on of the King's Royal Guards or Musketeers. At the age of 18, the young hothead from Gascony is setting out for France to become a Musketeer,with a letter of recommendation from his father,little does he know what awaits him.
(played by myself)

Athos: Little is known about Athos other than she is widely known as the most beautiful of all the Musketeers. A somewhat quiet and always serious lady,she is considered one of the most feared and respected of the Musketeers. What is known about the quiet and secretive lady is that she comes from a really rich background which no one knows. Her life is full of sorrow that no one knows and she is content of either clamming up about it or trying to drink it away. She is also the oldest of the three musketeers and is considered the de facto leader and "mother" figure to the other musketeers.

Porthos: honest and slightly gullible, is the extrovert of the group, enjoying wine, men, or at least teasing them to no end, and song. Considered kind of a scoundrel and widely popular and known around Paris,she is a wild girl that is not afraid of a fun time or a fight. She is a little wild and roguish but she knows she always has her friends and sometimes she can tend to drink a little to much and get the musketeers in trouble. Considered a giant by her enemies because of her amazing battle prowess or the fearless way she fights,she is remarks that a job in the musketeers was natural, it was either that or a courtesan.

Aramis: Loves intrigues. She is ambitious and dissatisfied. She is one who is lost because she is torn between two worlds: wanting to be part of the church but wanting to live the life of a soldier. She is a good girl and religious yet she is wholly dedicated to her friends and the corps of musketeers. She will kill if she has to and will fight if she has to but prefers not. She is considered lucky but only because of her sharp intellect and her ability to make plans and ways for the musketeers to get out of trouble. She is a master swordsmen like the rest but she is also the conscience of the musketeers: but sometimes she just falls of the "right path"

Optional Characters:

Constance Bonacieux: The pretty little wife of the inn keeper of the inn that D'Artagnan lives at once he moves to France,she is a young girl that need a place to stay and got married off to her current husband by her family. Now trapped in a loveless marriage,she falls in love with the noble young hothead d'Artagnan. She is also the lady in waiting for the Queen of France: Anne of Austria.

Cardinal Richelieu: Known as the Red Eminence, he is the villain of the story. The head of the catholic church in France,he is the second most power person in the kingdom under the King. the endless riches of the church,his own guard force and throngs of loyal follows, he is dangerous and devious. His ultimate plan is to reveal the affair between Anne of Austria and the Duke of Buckingham, causing a war that will consume England and France. He undermines the king and the country in devious underhanded ways: he is truly an evil man.

Comte De Rochefort: Known as the Man from Meung to d'Artagnan,he is the shadowy and secretive black swordsman of France. The main muscle and right hand man of Cardinal Richelieu,he is an expert swordsman that meets d'Artagnan on his way to Paris and has him jumped by his servants and then robs him of his letter of recommendation to the Musketeers by d'Artagnan's father. The constant Nemesis of d'Artagan and the three musketeers,he is constantly a thorn in their side.

M'lord De Winter: A capable and handsome spy, the Comte De Winter is an unusual example of a strong, independent  man with a tragic and checkered past, filled with the seduction and willful destruction of those who will provide him with monetary support. De winter is remorseless and unrepentant for his countless "misdeeds". Later he is revealed to have been the husband of Athos, one of the musketeers. As teenager he was forced to enter the church, only to be pursued by one of the priests, he escapes with stolen church property to fund his new life in another part of the country, for which he was branded by a legal official. While in  Athos' village with another woman pretending to be her brother, when Athos, a noblewoman, fell in love, despite his obscure origins, married him. Out in the forest one day, she discovered the brand on his shoulder, identifying him as a convicted criminal. Thinking he had married her only for her money, and feeling dishonoured, Athos hanged him from a tree on the spot, but he survived 

Setting(brief for those who don't want to look it up): It is 17th century France. France is a powerful nation in Europe and is finally at peace,the hundred years war with England and other wars a pretty much over. The current king, King Louie the XIII married the princess of Austria to bring an alliance between the two. Still very hostile with England,France is a just a normal catholic country that still thrives in a quickly changing times. Despite the peace,many devious things are happening, many orchestrated by Cardinal Richelieu to undermine the power of the King. The kings royal guard and private corps of soldiers,also known as the Musketeers are known as the finest soldiers in France and are renown for their Navy blue coats with the gold Flour De Lis on them. Opposing them is the fanatical catholic guard under the command of the Cardinal. Completely loyal to the king,the musketeers are constantly dueling with the guards as Cardinal Richelieu attempts to abolish the musketeers and cause the down fall of the king. It is in these tense,turbulent times that the hero of the story,the young d'Artagnan arrives in Paris and ends up on a wild ride to save France and save himself from three amazing women that help him in his quest to save France and the Musketeers.

[Kendra]

I am a huge Alexandre Dumas fan and though I know my schedule is vast and my time needs serious overhauling, I am interested in this greatly.

Interested in portraying Athos actually but will of course wait to post a character bio when its required.

[bubby]

Oh MAN! I would SO be into playing Porthos! I however have never read the books. I HAVE watched every single Three Musketeers movie ever made I think though, so I am aware of how the male version of Porthos behaves, my fav version being Gerard Dep..er..doo..however it's spelled.

BUT...as I am right in the middle of getting another RP off the ground, and I'm old and multi-tasking and I don't get along well, if someone else can fill the part sooner then me, like within the next couple weeks, I'll step away. If NOT...I'll gladly take it! I shall keep my eye on this thread!

[Kristine]

WOW, Very original and interesting :)
I like Dumas very much, Count of Monte Cristo and Three Musketeers are from the list of my favorite books of childhood :)

Though Dumas always messing up the history too much :D For example, Cardinal from real history was the greatest patriot of France and one of the man who is to be thanked that France is what it is at the moment, but Dumas created monster from him :p

Anyways, you have very interested twist in the story :)

And I take it you replaced Milady's character by M'lord De Winter :) That's interesting too, but there IS Lord De Winter in the real story (brother-in-law of Milady), so I was confused little bit at first.

Just wanted to ask if I may play Aramis. If some more experienced roleplayer will want that role, I'll step back and pick some villain or any other side character though