Romania

Romania’s claims to fame are three bloodthirsty monsters: Dracula, Lord of the Vampires, The Crimson Mask, and Ceaucescu. As the homeland to such creatures, it’s understandable why people from Eastern Europe seem dour to Westerners. The country experienced a native fascist regime called the Iron Guard, people who were deemed too extreme by the Nazis, and then after World War II, suffered under the brutal Communist occupation. It was one of the few countries in the region to overthrow Communism violently, and is now one of the poorest.

BUCHAREST

The capital of Romania is in many ways a typical post-Communist metropolis, an insane mix of poor urban planning and surprisingly decent infrastructure. Bucharest probably started as a fortress of the infamous Vlad the Impaler, and with time grew into a large town. It’s not old by Eastern European standards—the major development started in the middle of the 19th century. The most visible feature of Bucharest is its old Communist architecture—the most obvious example of which is the People’s Palace, the largest parliament building in the world, reflecting Ceaucescu’s insane ambitions. It hosts dozens of offices, government buildings, and even more unusual laboratories, and it’s all too easy to get lost in the labyrinth of grey, soul-crushing corridors. Reportedly, there are some custodians and guards who never even leave the Palace.
Bucharest, like most of Eastern Europe, has problems with organized crime. The local police were unprepared for the amount of crime after the fall of Communism, and the Russian and local mobs quickly moved in to corner new markets. The mobs are partially protected by a shadowy organization calling itself the Old Guard. Another major threat to local heroes like Romanipen is the infamous Crimson Mask, who periodically returns to his motherland.
Romania has a significant problem with juvenile crime, which the authorities assume is a result of social changes and adults emigrating, leaving their children to fend for themselves, but whatever the cause, the Hoarda Salbatica (Savage Horde) led by twelve year old Adrian Dragan, calling himself ?ef ?efi (boss of all the bosses), is one of the most feared organizations in the city. They go beyond simple teenage delinquency, often dealing drugs, extorting money, and organizing heists.