Karkat Vantas

Karkat Vantas (known to most as Karkat Piexes) is the main character of Towerbound. His capture and subsequent imprisonment in a tower is what gave the AU its name, which has persisted to this day despite its ever-decreasing relevance to events. He possesses an amount of latent magical energy equivalent to that of an ethereal.

History
Karkat is the biological son of the Signless and the Disciple, but soon after his birth he was adopted by the Grand Highblood and Her Imperious Condescension, the current king and queen. He is the same age as his adoptive sibling Feferi Peixes, and she considered him to be a good friend. Their closeness, combined with his body leaking out huge amounts of magical energy, caused Feferi to transform into a troll/sea monster hybrid, and thus he was indirectly responsible for her exile.

When he was nine years old the Spider Sorceress kidnapped him after hearing of his magical potential. She kept him locked up in a tower under the surveillance of Eridan Ampora. The structure was guarded by the skeletal undead and Terezi Pyrope, a troll/dragon hybrid that stood 700 ft tall. He was kept in his tower for years, the great dragon foiling his numerous escape attempts.

His eventual escape through the catacombs seventeen years after his initial imprisonment was primarily influenced by two factors: Terezi gave chase to him, but the intervention of Kanaya Maryam caused her to be warded off.
 * Terezi's absence at the time of the act
 * The assistance of Equius Zahhak, an ogre residing in the area of the catacombs near to Karkat's tower

Kanaya paid a mercenary, Latula Pyrope, to escort him to the capitol to re-unite with his family, but along the way he was pierced by an arrow fired by a bandit. He was granted reprieve from his death by Calliope, along with a guarantee that the same reprieve would be granted to him one more time if he were to be mortally wounded again. He is currently still making his way towards the capitol.

Impact of his disappearance
The impact of Karkat's kidnapping on the realm ruled by the Peixes dynasty was, and continues to be, significant. Every year, on the anniversary of his kidnapping, a kingdom-wide day of mourning is held. Stores close and citizens drape themselves in grey and red in honor of the lost prince, and the royal family does not make public appearances. Karkat's face is also engraved as the heads side of copper coins.

Reason for his kidnapping
The Spider Sorceress' kidnapping was not simply punitive. Her ultimate objective was to harness his absurd amount of magical energy, but she could not siphon it off in a controlled manner until he reached an older age. Thus, when the opportunity came, she kidnapped Karkat and locked him in a tower she believed it to be impossible to escape from, until such a time that his energy could be captured.

Relationship with his captor
Despite Terezi having been the primary obstacle to all his escape attempts throughout his life, Karkat doesn't hater her. This is partially due to his sexual attraction to her, but it has been confirmed that this is not the only factor contributing to his position on the matter. However, exactly what these other factors are remains a mystery.

The Tower
Karkat's Tower is a 70 ft tall spire where Karkat was kept throughout his imprisonment. The surrounding terrain is designed both to keep potential rescuers out and to keep Karkat in.

The following obstacles, in order of decreasing distance, are present to stop rescue attempts:
 * 1) The valley that the tower resides within is completely encircled by semi-active volcanoes.
 * 2) The only overground connection to the refuge island the tower was built on is a rickety rope bridge suspended over a pit of magma.
 * 3) Heavily armoured walls tipped with spikes. The interior is laced with traps.
 * 4) A horde of undead skeletons.
 * 5) Terezi Pyrope.

Character Differences from Homestuck
Towerbound!Karkat is openly a mutant. This is because, at least in his native kingdom, being a mutant is not against the law. Indeed, the social barrier is not present either. However, after having been kept in a tower for seventeen years, he attempts to maintain a low profile and stay out of the way of as many strangers as possible. When he does find someone he believes he can trust, however, he opens up to them extremely quickly.

Works Containing this Character
[works go here]