quill

craft a letter from paper, a feather and an ink sac, and a small writing desk opens: a name at the top, the words underneath. fold it, and anyone holding it can read it. seal it with wax — it costs a honeycomb — and only the person you named can break the seal. breaking it is one-way; there is no resealing, and a written letter is signed and never edited.

a sealed letter can be carried, kept, traded and handed on by anyone. the words stay inside.

and if the crows live here too: hand a sealed letter to a tamed crow. if the addressee is nearby it flies over and drops the letter at their feet. if they're far, it waits a while in case they walk in — then takes to the sky, the whole bird gone from the world, and comes down wherever your person next is. then it flies home.