Okay, next up - Activities in Mainz, and of course,
what about the Nazis?
Generally, the resident angels of Mainz remain strong, but on the defensive, afraid of taking too strong an action that would thereby risk their already damaged tethers; there are strong demonic undercurrents to be found, and while most of the demons cannot boast tethers in the immediate surroundings, these guys are no picnic. Generally, it is probably easiest to run an angelic campaign in Mainz, though demonic "poking" and even ethereal running can be interesting.
Angelic Influences
Mainz has traditionally been a town dominated by angels, but the last few years have left their mark. The whole National Socialist business took the servitors of heaven rather by surprise, and by the time they realised what was going on, Hell had taken an interest, too. Mainz around 1945 is pretty desolate as far as open Angelic intervention is concerned (Laurence has a tether, but he has better things to do elsewhere), though some efforts are being made to restore the angelic power.
Schools in Mainz were closed for the last months of the war, and have not reopened yet. A servitor of Yves has been attempting to aid in rebuilding one of the schools in the town centre and getting school business up and running again, but he has gone missing after investigating some missing children... (in our campaign, this was the hook for the Mercurian of Destiny to be sent down to Earth).
In another area, the Holztorschule (lit translated "Woodgate School", named after its proximity to one of the old city gates) is one of the few school buildings generally still standing and unaffected in Mainz, and two angels of Christopher have secretly taken up residence there. A teacher has been looking after children here who have lost their parents, trying to provide stability for the young humans in the ruins of a destroyed city, and her selfless actions may yet bring about the formation of a tether. The two angels, a Seraph and a Cherub, are concerned with keeping a low profile, and even the Yves and Laurence tethers have not been notified of their activity. As they see it, the situation in town is not safe enough to be openly flaunting one's activities, with demons around. They are not sure that the servitors of Laurence are subtle enough to leave them out of the fray, though they may confide in servitors of Yves if discovered by them.
Spoiler:
However, on November 13th, 1945, the Holztorschule collapses, burying 17 of the 27 girls attending their 6th grade class that day, as well as their teacher and the school's headmaster. Demonic intervention? Quite possibly. In the campaign, this can be particularly poignant if the players have spent time aiding the servitors of Children, and maybe even witnessed the Tether's consecration. Maybe the players are even there - maybe it is their fault...? Officially, the reason for the collapse was structural integrity, due to bomb blasts from the war. Ironically, the catastrophe serves to bring people together, as Americans, French and Germans work to secure the site and save who they can. For a short moment, the war that looms over everyone is forgotten. So was this a tragic accident, a demonic attack, or a sick and misguided case of angelic engineering...?
One character who is well fitted to this setting is the Discordant Ofanite of Eli described in the Liber Servitorum. She has recovered from her corporeal death and is now out to punish those who brought the awful killings about, or stood by and let it happen - and she will find many many targets in Mainz. More on her general state of mind can be found in the LS.