Problem with an antagonist's plan

[Brandon S. Pilcher]

My current WIP is a prehistoric fantasy novel which is about a hunter-gatherer woman who must rescue her sister from a tribe that wishes to sacrifice her to their volcano god. This other tribe is a separate species of hominin whom the protagonist and other humans (as in Homo sapiens) of the setting refer to as "mountain-dwellers". They're physically stronger and stockier than humans, but have simpler technology and have a level of intellect comparable to that of our world's Neanderthals and Denisovans.

Anyway, the reason these mountain-dwellers are able to track down the heroine's sister and capture her is because they have a human helping them, namely the heroine's ex-lover whom I would consider the real villain of the story. This guy got himself kicked out of the heroine's band after he tried to force himself onto her, but like many ex-boyfriends, he still wants to claim her as his mate. His plan is to use the heroine's sister as a bargaining chip, letting the mountain-dwellers throw her into the volcano if the heroine doesn't agree to let him back into her life.

And this is where I'm a little stuck. The mountain-dwellers he's helping want to sacrifice the sister to the volcano, believing that it'll prevent the next upcoming eruption. If our villain offers to have the sister spared as long as the heroine agrees to become his lover again, that would piss off his mountain-dweller allies. Admittedly, it wouldn't be out of character for this dude to betray the mountain-dwellers, but I'd like for him to have a backup plan should the heroine agree to his demands (which would require him to call off the sacrifice of her sister). What could that be?

 

[buttercream]

A second, more "accurate" prophecy, maybe? I don't know if that's the route you're taking, but you could have him set someone else up to be sacrificed instead. Or something like a goat if he's not that awful.

 

[bACK iN mY dAY]

It could revolve somewhat around his set up in the mountain dweller tribe. If she's going to agree, how does he get her out? Spitballing - he has inside help (maybe another lover he's betraying), he's noticed a weakness in their 'security', he's going to set up a distraction. He wants the girl back who he tried to force himself on, so there's an aspect of intense want and need there. So you'd imagine he's willing to go to some quite extreme, risky measures to pull this off perhaps, or he's simply smart enough that he's sure his plan will succeed. Maybe he poisons the mountain dwellers food? Maybe the mountain dwelllers aren't actually planning on sacrificing her and he's simply laid that seed in some other way? Not sure, but when you imagine he's willing to do some extreme stuff, maybe a whole variety of things become possible.

 

[big soft moose]

Maybe the mountain dwellers think he’s a god or demigod like a child of the volcano or something so his word is law

 

[Stuart Dren]

Why are they trying to sacrifice that sister in particular? I assume it's more than just virginity. His plan could be to deceive: substitute the sister with a similar-looking girl if his demands are met.

He could also stage an escape in such a way that it preserves his reputation, either by making the sister appear more cunning than she actually was, or making it look like her tribe rescued her.

 

[bACK iN mY dAY]

Something else to ask - what's the story about? I mean, you've told us what the story is. But what's it all about? Because to some extent knowing that might inform you on where to go with this.

 

[Brandon S. Pilcher]

Something else to ask - what's the story about? I mean, you've told us what the story is. But what's it all about? Because to some extent knowing that might inform you on where to go with this.

The heroine is very protective of her sister since she's the last remaining member of her family after a tyrannosaur killed their parents. So if you're asking about the story's theme, I would say it's about familial bonds.

Anyway, I may have come up with a solution to my problem. Sometime after the villain and the mountain-dwellers kidnap the heroine's sister, I'll just have him sneak away from his allies to offer help to the heroine on the grounds that she'll become his mate.

Spoiler

I'm thinking his betraying the mountain-dwellers is what seals his fate for the worse.

 

[Kallisto]

My current WIP is a prehistoric fantasy novel which is about a hunter-gatherer woman who must rescue her sister from a tribe that wishes to sacrifice her to their volcano god. This other tribe is a separate species of hominin whom the protagonist and other humans (as in Homo sapiens) of the setting refer to as "mountain-dwellers". They're physically stronger and stockier than humans, but have simpler technology and have a level of intellect comparable to that of our world's Neanderthals and Denisovans.

Anyway, the reason these mountain-dwellers are able to track down the heroine's sister and capture her is because they have a human helping them, namely the heroine's ex-lover whom I would consider the real villain of the story. This guy got himself kicked out of the heroine's band after he tried to force himself onto her, but like many ex-boyfriends, he still wants to claim her as his mate. His plan is to use the heroine's sister as a bargaining chip, letting the mountain-dwellers throw her into the volcano if the heroine doesn't agree to let him back into her life.

And this is where I'm a little stuck. The mountain-dwellers he's helping want to sacrifice the sister to the volcano, believing that it'll prevent the next upcoming eruption. If our villain offers to have the sister spared as long as the heroine agrees to become his lover again, that would piss off his mountain-dweller allies. Admittedly, it wouldn't be out of character for this dude to betray the mountain-dwellers, but I'd like for him to have a backup plan should the heroine agree to his demands (which would require him to call off the sacrifice of her sister). What could that be?

Believe it or not, characters are allowed to have incredibly stupid plans. Why? Because in real life, people have incredibly stupid plans. Trust me. I investigate insurance for a living. Most people's criminal plans are amazingly stupid. And the thing about arrogance is that it gives you the confidence to try things without realizing just how dumb you actually are.

Now, when I say "dumb" I don't mean incompetent. He can be fairly intelligent in most ways. In his own tribe, he's mastered all the rules. He's played the right games and done the right things to thrive despite being a total creep. And I can see someone like that believing that the Mountain-Dwellers are just inferior. Therefore, he doesn't need to think beyond his goal, because if things go wrong with the Mountain Dwellers, he'll just outsmart them. They don't stand a chance against him. He's the smartest person in the room. He's climbed to the top in his own tribe, so outsmarting and outclassing some inferior Mountain Dwellers will just be child's play to him!

Except it's not. That's where your MC will have the edge! She might not be as smart as him or as strong as him or as capable of a warrior as him and she knows it. So she isn't about to underestimate how capable Mountain-Dwellers are and she's not going to put herself in unnecessary danger. Her ability to know herself and her limits and understand the threat she's up against, ensures her victory in the conflict over your antagonist.

At least that is my suggestion.

 

[vandor76]

The mountain-dwellers he's helping want to sacrifice the sister to the volcano

What if they don't? What if they have an agreement with the antagonist that they play this kidnap-sacrifice game and in return he teaches them some advanced (in prehistoric terms) tech. Weapons for example.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

The sister is doomed. The mountain dwellers toss her into the volcano, which starts to erupt despite the sacrifice. The heroine tosses the evil ex-lover into the fire and the eruption subsides. She becomes the mountaindwellers heroine as well as the reader's.

Or the heroine convinces the mountain dewllers that the volcano is female and demands a male sacrifice. At the ceremony, when it seems sister is about to be tossed, the mountain dwellers turn on the bad guy and feed him to the fire instead.

This volcano is like the shotgun hanging over the fireplace mantel. Someone has got to get smoked.

 

[Brandon S. Pilcher]

Hey guys,

I already finished the story in question a couple of months ago. What I went with is this scenario:

Anyway, I may have come up with a solution to my problem. Sometime after the villain and the mountain-dwellers kidnap the heroine's sister, I'll just have him sneak away from his allies to offer help to the heroine on the grounds that she'll become his mate.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Oops! Guilty once again of not paying attention to dates. Congratulations on finishing the project!

(With that perfectly serviceable volcano, it's a shame no bad guys got roasted... or did they?)