The Oldbloods are the oldest known vampire lineage—ancient, living curses created through a desperate bargain with Koschei the Deathless. Every modern vampire traces their existence, directly or indirectly, to the shadow of what happened to the Morozovs.
The Shadow of the Ancestors is a Slavic-American coven founded in the United States by immigrant witches who carried older ancestral traditions with them. It is built on blood, memory, duty, and the belief that the dead are not gone—only waiting to be obeyed.
Most wolves are born into bloodlines, but some are made through old ritual, willing sacrifice, and the judgment of the Moon Goddess. Across Illinois and neighboring states, packs survive through territory, family, law, and devotion. Chicago’s Slavic pack is only one of them—loyal, territorial, emotional, and far more human than the monsters who underestimate them.
Chicago’s Vampire Council manages secrecy, influence, punishment, territory, and public narrative. It is less a throne room than a pressure system—political, elegant, and always watching.
Acquired by the Morozovs during their years in 1920s Chicago, the Gold Coast estate became one of their most important modern strongholds—part mansion, part fortress, part old-world refuge, and part emotional pressure cooker.
As Viking raiders destroyed their village and left her children dying, Miroslava Morozova called upon Koschei the Deathless to save them. He answered by twisting her desperate plea into a curse that reshaped the supernatural world—and may not be finished with the Morozovs yet.
In the wilds of old Rus’, Viking raiders destroy the Morozovs’ village and leave Miroslava’s children dying. Desperate to save them, she invokes Koschei the Deathless. The Morozov siblings survive—but not as mortals.
Across the centuries, the Starokrovs become feared, misunderstood, imitated, and mythologized. Their legacy spreads throughout vampire history, even as the family itself fractures and scatters.
The Morozovs establish a foothold in Chicago, acquire the Gold Coast estate, and become entangled with the city’s growing supernatural world.
An impossible message draws the Morozovs back toward Chicago and places Liza Belov at the center of a mystery tied to blood, magic, and a curse long believed to be eternal.
A quick guide to the Russian, Slavic, and supernatural terms used throughout Devils in the Windy City.
Starokrov
Старокров
(stah-roh-KROV)
Oldblood. Used as an adjective for the Morozov bloodline, its power, and the supernatural legacy attached to it.
Starokrovs
Старокровные
(stah-roh-KROV-ny-yeh)
The Oldbloods. The English plural noun used for the five original Morozov siblings.
Oldblood
The English term commonly used for a member of the ancient Morozov bloodline.
Staraya Krov’
Старая Кровь
(STAH-rah-yah krohv)
Old Blood. The literal phrase behind the name Starokrov.
Morozov
Морозов
(mah-ROH-zov)
The ancient family at the center of the story. The Morozovs are the original Oldbloods.
Krov’
Кровь
(krohv)
Blood. A central concept in vampire lineages, witch traditions, and inherited magic.
Oborotni
Оборотни
(oh-boh-ROHT-nee)
Werewolves. Most are born into wolf bloodlines, though transformation is possible through ancient ritual, willing sacrifice, and the judgment of the Moon Goddess.
Volk
Волк
(vohlk)
Wolf. A term tied to werewolf culture, pack identity, ancestry, and Slavic folklore.
Moon Goddess
The divine force associated with wolf transformation, instinct, survival, and worthiness.
Ten’ Predkov
Тень Предков
(tyen’ PRED-kov)
Shadow of the Ancestors. A Slavic-American coven built on ancestral magic, inherited memory, and bloodline tradition.
Vedmy / Magi
Ведьмы / Маги
(VYED-my / MAH-gee)
Witches / Mages. Practitioners of magic.
Kolduny / Koldunyi
Колдуны / Колдуньи
(kahl-doo-NY / kahl-doon-YEE)
Sorcerers / Sorceresses. Terms associated with magical practitioners in Liza’s ancestral tradition.
Magiya
Магия
(MAH-gee-yah)
Magic. Supernatural power, spellwork, and forces that bend the ordinary rules of the world.
Predok / Predki
Предок / Предки
(pree-DOHK / PRED-kee)
Ancestor / Ancestors. Recurring terms in Ten’ Predkov traditions and beliefs.
Rus’
Русь
(roos)
The medieval East Slavic world where many old supernatural traditions trace their roots.
Koschei Bessmertny
Кощей Бессмертный
(koh-SHAY byess-SMYERT-ny)
Koschei the Deathless. An immortal figure from Slavic folklore whose bargain transformed the Morozovs.
Devils
A metaphor for monsters, supernatural beings, impossible choices, and the darkness people carry within themselves. Not literal devils. Usually.
Beneath the lake wind, old money, glass towers, churches, clubs, brownstones, and back rooms, Chicago’s supernatural world survives by pretending not to exist.
In Devils in the Windy City, every faction has something to protect, something to hide, and something to fear. The Morozovs did not create every monster in the city—but when the Oldbloods gather, every monster notices.