Genius Bonus: Mircea Basarab. Mircea II was Vlad Tepes' brother. Basarab II was another Wallachian Prince from that time period. Basarab was the founder of the dynasty to which Vlad Dracula and his brothers belonged. They are know in Romania as the Basarabi (translated in English the Basarabs). Mircea II was named after his more famous grand-father Mircea "the Old" Basarab, ruler of Wallachia from 1386-1418, one of the most effective rulers in Romanian History. The way the character acts he might actually be a mixture of both Vlad Dracula and his grand-father Mircea.
Ho Yay: Mircea and Stephen. Mircea calls him "my Stephen" and likes to touch his hand or shoulder as they talk. (This is portrayed as a difference in foreign values on personal space, but slash fans will probably squee anyway.) Stephen comes to admire him in return. Later, Mircea turns him into a vampire, and Stephen decides to follow him for life to show him that Mircea/Dracula can still be a good man too.
Moral Event Horizon: Platoon Commander Rayzhar slaughtering civilians with sadistic glee in Romania.
Only the Author Can Save Them Now: Before the Twist Ending, humanity pretty much has no chance, and it looked like the book will be about how they go down fighting to the end. Cue the vamps.
