How do I work out a twist on this plot?

I have characters and a concept, but no plot. Concept: Urban fantasy, homage to Tolkien. After a war in Middeleard/Verold (Middle-earth), a Norse and Saxon-inspired fantasy world with similarities to the location of the same name in Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings, (in fact, the main characters believe that Tolkien visited their world in his dreams and used parts of their history as inspiration for his stories), refugees flee to our world and establish a hidden neighbourhood called the Westmarch in my home city. The story focuses on a halfling teenager, Frodo, and his brother who are raised by the Dwarf mercenary Thorin Eikinskjaldi (Oakenshield) in a house built underground in this neighbourhood.

Some Characters: A pair of teenaged hobbits, an honourable and tradition-bound dwarven mercenary (the above Thorin), a manipulative elven queen, and an orc leader who wants to be thought of as more than just an evil guy and also wants to be appreciated and have friends. He's an Anti-Villain. How do I make a plot from this?

edited 23rd Jan '13 2:02:19 AM by MorwenEdhelwen

Think about what the characters are after, and throw a few obstacles in their path.

The villain is the only one I have a clue about.

The dwarf wants to figure out how to fit in.

What does the villain want, and what is s/he doing to get it?

What are the biological, cultural, etc. differences between the dwarf and humans that will make fitting in hard?

The basis of any plot is basically;

1. The hero wants something.
2. The villain wants something (doesn't have to be the same as the hero).
3. In getting what he wants, the villain gets in the hero's business.

Since you know what the villain wants, think about how the means he goes about getting it would bring the heroes into it.

edited 23rd Jan '13 7:08:56 AM by Bisected8

The villain I'm talking about is a minor villain. The heroes want to save a ring from destruction (thanks, james123182!). It isn't just the dwarves, elves, halflings etc but everyone from that world who's arrived in ours. They can't fit in because:

• they speak radically different languages

• They have an old-fashioned culture of honour, chivalry, sacred hospitality etc

• Their general viewpoint is radically different to the 21st century

Villains attempt to destroy fragments of an old ring that is actually a talisman.

edited 23rd Jan '13 7:14:46 PM by MorwenEdhelwen

To answer your original question a general way to figure out a plot twist with anything:

• Write an outline.

• Sum up the obvious outcomes. (think simple like the above posters stated, X wants Y)

• Explore how that outcome can be approached uniquely -OR- Subvert the obvious outcome completely.

thanks, dimanagul!