The Courtesan's Guild

 The Oldest Profession, the Fourth Estate

Industrial America was not just recognized for its wealth or military might, but its cultural power as well. The 20th century saw stars of the screen and stage become veritable royalty. In the brutality of the Middle Ages, posing for a magazine cover or singing a catchy song is not what one could a marktable skill. However, going back to one's day job, when "day job" meant farming or fishing, was maybe a little too much for the beautiful elite. In the early days of the collapse, any overlord in power might have extended an invitation to a boyhood crush, and more than a few of them took it. Many a beautiful pop star or screen siren saw much more to like in the den of a conqueror then pens of hogs. But the more enrteprising banded together, the savvy of producers combined with the looks of models and took what they coud from the Hollywood infrastracture, and after some time, coalesced into the Courthsan's Guild.

In the old Middle Ages, harems were not merely dens of pleasure, they were displays of an empire's cultural breadth. They were entertainers and storytellers. And that is was the what the Courtesan's Guild eventually formed as. They don't just promise pleasure, they promise culture. Art. Refinement. A way to make one's mark without smashing an axe into one's face. To say they're a business, a church, an army, or a combination of all three is reductive. Simply put, they're an instituion.

The Studio System

Generally speaking, the Guild has tiers. First, you have your Gilded Goddesses. Your stars, the ones they put all the grooming chips on. They're introduced to the Governors, or the sons of governors, the weathiest merchants, etc. Then you have vituosas--more niche in their appeal but maybe especially talented at singing, juggling, etc. or they might be the more voloptuous or genderqueer variety. Think maybe character actresses or indie stars. It's always important to cater to every taste. Then you have the House Girls, the equivalent to the B-Movie figure, these are fixtures of brothels or casinos, the Guild's bread and butter. Beautiful, without the It Factor. Then there are the Uncut Gems, the iniates. Sometimes they actually go straight to the the Governor's harem, if the Governor finds her appealing and the Guild feels they probably aren't going to have a long term icon. (In fact, it's very common for courts to have their harem to get a little but of Guld training anyways.)

Softest of Soft Power

Once a Starlet is rises through the ranks (usually imprinted with a tattoo) they are forbidden to marry. This is something of a pact. It keeps the Guild from aquiring too much property, but also allows them a degree of autonomy from the Governors if they can "recall" their Starlets at any time. They are as a rule, neutral, but it's well known that they employ spycraft, and the Guild has the most extensive dossier in the western half of America. 

The Bodyguard

Even with its institutionalized power, the life of  a Starlet is not always the safest one, and this is where the it needs the hard power. Industrial Era California's security industry was extensive, with celebrities, mansion owners and CEOS, concert venues, and even night clubs needing protection. The ability to throw down *is* a marketable (if dangerous) skill in a Medieval Society, and it eventually evolved into its current state; A mercenry band that's part Praetorian Guard, part bouncer. The elites all over California employ the services of The Boydguard (that said, there are strict limits on how many a household can emplloy), and their biggest customers are the Courtesan's Guild, who they have an almost symbiotic relationship with.

Expansion East

For centuries the Guild was based  largely in the West Coast, with knock-offs or variants elsewhere exisiting as less regined iterations. However, they have always had their eye on New Orleans, the jewel of the continent, the Venice of America. When the Andersons took over Eastern Texas, its cowboy conqueror, Marshall Sol Anderson, fancied himself a a Biblical King, including all the saucy parts. The Guild made appeals, the carrot of civillization, with all its beauties and luxuries, and his quickly established harem was basically a the Courtesans exercising a franchise. (This of course, has seen Sol rebuked by many New Israelites, and they swear his kingdom will face judgement any day now. Any day...) Now, with access to the Gulf Coast and its markets, the Guild is a coast to coast fixture of the Sun Belt, binding the humid east and the arid west.