MBTI Type: ISTP

Bard makes decisions quickly, based on the logic of the current situation; he agrees to help smuggle the dwarves into the city for a fee, since he has been strapped for cash for a long time, and then systematically ensures they are kept safe while doing so. He uses the money to buy a load of fish to dump in the barrels to conceal them, then talks his way out of the fish being dumped overboard by pointing out that the master in charge of the city will get bad press when people find out he has been wasting food, and smuggles them into his family home through paying off the dock master to say they were never here. He rationalizes that sending the dwarves to the mountain could be dangerous, and accurately intuits that Thorin will awaken the dragon and rain down fire on all of them. When the others refuse to listen, Bard takes immediate, defensive steps to protect his family, by taking it upon himself to arm the dragon-slaying mechanism. He is quite clever at outsmarting people and eluding them by ducking through doorways in the city, and is courageous and willing to put himself at risk for his family and the entire city when he takes on Smaug and slays him with an iron arrow. He uses his environment skillfully in breaking out of prison, shooting arrows that “never miss their mark,” and taking chances when necessary. Even though it’s a risk to bring the dwarves into his home, he does it. He is also a stern judge of character; Bard thinks both in present terms and on future implications and impact – he is concerned the dwarves will wake the dragon and lay siege to Laketown, because he suspects Thorin has the same arrogance as his forefathers… and he is right. He says they will wake the dragon and bring harm to Lake Town (again, accurate), rather than being sucked in by Thorin’s grand promises of enough gold to rebuild their civilization. After the city burns, he sets out to find them a defendable position in the mountains that will preserve them in the winter months. Rather than fight, Bard would rather negotiate. He wants to find a medium where both sides can be satisfied. He pushes away leadership but also feels responsible for the people around him and their safety. He berates those who belittle and harm others, while keeping his own emotions close to the chest. He is open to persuasion and has a compassionate side, but is never outwardly emotional.

Enneagram: cp 6w5 so/sp

Bard wants to do things cautiously rather than take risks; when the dwarves ask him for their help getting into the town, he points out that there are checkpoints and they will certainly be caught, then takes precautions against their discovery. He tells them to keep low, stay out of trouble, and not draw any attention to themselves. When he realizes that one of them is Thorin, he rushes out to find an old tapestry that has the lineage of the dwarves on it, to confirm that he is the King Under the Mountain. Immediately, he suspects their intentions and doesn’t want them to go through with it, fearing the consequences that might arise should they awaken Smaug. Bard has been walking a fine line with the authorities for quite some time—people naturally trust him and rally around him, but he also challenges the reining authorities and questions them enough that one of them says it should be illegal for him to ask so many questions. He does his best to stay out of jail, but also is prepared for the worst to happen (he keeps a bunch of weapons ready that he has made in secret, in case he should ever need them). Bard is somewhat private, self-contained, and self-trusting, owing to his 5 wing, but he’s also not afraid to take risks when he believes it’s the right thing to do.