Oh, well, kneejerk posting. All this is IMO and IMG. YGMV an all that.
Safelster has many early Renaissance features, but in other aspects they are less advanced that on Earth (such as architecture or art). Also they are less advanced (if you consider centralised government an advance) in Political and Economical aspects (nothing like the Hansa or the Mesta, although some panurban mercantile interests have appeared).
But Ralios is much more than that. You have Iron Age Orlanthi, Bronze Age Orlanthi, hordes of nonhumans, and two powerful hibrid border states, less advanced than the Safelstran City States, but more vital and even more importantly, BIG, Naskorion and Otkorion.
The Italian Quatrocentto is my main inspiration, with some Japanese (caste and government), and Greek (Pelopenessan War) overtones. For the Orlanthi they are mostly Celts and Goths mixed up and changed religions.
For Cards, my sources indicate that they were invented in India or China, and were spread by the Muslims in Europe. The first Tarots are from the end of the XIVth century.
I had prepared several card games for my players, using Spanish cards, who are more similar to the original Tarot than the widespread French ones. You have Coins, Cups, Swords and Clubs (calling a one meter knobbed club a Wand is something I will not do), from one to seven, then the figures, the Jack (feminine in appeareance), the Knight and the King.
I added the Wizard, and you have the four castes. I did not take matters too far, and just adapted some games I found in an old Cards book. As they are not Spanish (but one), the cards alone would be new for them.
Alas! They are too busy saving the city and themselves.
As for mail, I suppose you have two main methods. You can pay a caravan master (or for much less, a voyager in a caravan) going in the good direction a few coins to give a message to someone. That is not used much in Safelster, as it can embroil you in the dealings of a secret society, but will work almost anywhere. Success rate is less than 50%, and sensitive messages should be coded.
The most usual way is to have a trusted retainer carry the message. The more important, the more trust. If you cannot afford to send someone, you can wait till a friend (or a friend of a friend) goes the right way, or something like the right way, trusting they will find a way to deliver.
The Churches and governments will have dedicated individuals, fleet footed fellows, full of resources and willing to eat a parchment (an unapettizing perspective, those are tough!) or lie, get disguised or kill to get to their destination. Player characters!
So you cannot have an UPS truck around, but you can have a Mikhail Strogoff, or a dozen. Just tie them to a good Patron (or a wicked one!) but remember they are stuck with them, as someone who knows who receives what, even if they don't read the letters, are a dangerous liability.
Indeed, in the Renaissance the main job of spies was how to communicate, or to block communications, between two regions. If the information that Helby is mustering mercenaries arrives late, they can overrun the border and besiege Galin. But if they see a strong force in the border, they will turn tail instead of fighting a bloody battle.
But these are only guidelines from my own game, where I try to do what you should, go with the flow and give the players what they want, wether it is comedy, romance or tragedy (and peaking now!).
Jose
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