In addition to the ruling agency, the society may have any number of key elements. There are many kinds of power in societies and organizations. The amount of organizational backing a person has. The attitude of a societies, or organizations, towards each other. The relations have a basic value, but it fluctuates easily.
Relations has somewhat similar meaning as consent, but it applies to external politics.
The 'Cultural' relations is a catch-all term for the general attitude of people towards each other. Another point is that, although relations are bilateral, they need not be symmetrical. For example, one society may view its neighbor reasonably positively without that good will being completely reciprocated. There is no distinction between PCs and NPCs. Key elements are just the set of people that are singled out and described, as opposed to the faceless masses.