The Healers' Language

Surviving oral tradition makes it clear that the Healers were always at least a bit secretive. However, before the persecution of the Church, this was more of a precaution than a day-to-day necessity. These families had learned the hard way that they were some of the first put to the sword in Roman conquest, since conquerers of all stripes realized how easily their groups could turn insurgent. 

The Healer's Tongue

The most significant unifying force among these healers was their language. Thousands of years old, it began as a combination of common ancient languages, with their own words invented here and there. It had no official name, but its speakers passed on and graffitied a single word from it wherever they could, to show their fellow healers they weren't alone. The word was thiedra, one of their many words for humanity's collective life force. The more religious of their youth attributed it to their gods, especially the Egyptian goddess Isis, affectionately nicknamed Isis R'thiedra, or Isis as Humanity's Soul.

Book Burnings

Many, including healers, would assume that this language was a shield against the coming Plague's persecution. Of course, the ability to communicate in secret saved some, but depending on ethnicity or gender, it was sometimes a detriment. Suspicion of independent women or immigrants runs deep, and while their fellow healers were simply viewed as sorcerers hoarding immunity powers, bigotry was a lightning rod. These were the kind of people burned, not for being witches who could weather the plague, but because they were blamed for its emergence.

The senior members of their community saw the pain and corpses of their kin, and though they feared they were overreacting, they gathered their children and made the hardest decision of their lives. What information they could memorize, they did, but what they could not was lost. They set entire libraries aflame, fearing more death. Since so many healers blamed for the plague were caught at their studies, it was the only thing they could think of to do. The risk was steep, and entire histories were lost, but it was a low price for millions of human lives.

When questioned, the elders responded with their line of logic. They were all terrified of losing vital healing information, but if they all died, said information would be indecipherable anyways. With a few exceptions, they burned every last text they could find. Until the late 1920s, they thought they had lost everything, but the abilities of Life's Cavalry should not be underestimated.