Journeyhouses

Clanless Theda, the Dwarven merchant, smiled widely.
"Now this, lads, is a suitable place to rest, if I ever saw one!"
The ruins sat atop a low hill, amidst what may have once been tilled fields - now overgrown with weed and root. Dark green ivy consumed the walls, pale pink flowers poking out from underneath. Weathered, grey stone could be seen in the few gaps in the thick foliage. The gates, once a great oak portal, were nowhere to be seen - taken to patch a peasant's roof, likely as not.
Theda stepped forward into the ruin, the grass that grew through old cobblestone soft and silent beneath his feet.
A large central structure, a rectangle of stone with no top. Theda knew that there would once have been a second, wooden floor built on top, but the blackened stones told a different story. A rusted, half destroyed wrought iron fence encircled what may have once been a garden. A half-burned awning for animals.
A White Wren darted away from under his feet as he approached the building. Theda smiled. White Wrens were good luck.
"A suitable place indeed."

Days of Prosperity

During the days of Eitridean might, Journeyhouses were special abbeys, places of healing and rest. There would be at least one Journeyhouse for each local grouping of settlements, more if any of those settlements were of import.
Unlike many abbeys, temples, and other havens, Journeyhouses were never aligned with any one faith, government, or organization. They were instead sanctuaries to any in need, offering aid indiscriminately - the sick, the poor, the scarred, yes, but also wanderers, outcasts, and orphans. It is said that any, no matter race, background, or history, could find solitude in a Journeyhouse. Ancient laws decreed by Laest the Golden prevented outsiders from trespassing in a Journeyhouse, or siezing its inhabitants.
Because of their nature, Journeyhouses nearly always had resident, able-bodied and willing defenders, but the event of true assault, the house's local supporters would be quick to rally to its defense.

Mystery Enshrouded Caretakers

No one, in fact, knows who created the Journeyhouses, or their overseers, the Journeymen. These monks, marked by pale, sand-colored hooded robes, were said to possess magical healing power, unearthly martial prowess, and live according to a strict set of tenets and laws. There would usually be at least three of these Journeymen for each Journeyhouse, supplemented by local support.

Forgotten Beauty

Such homes were not to last.
With the gradual decay of Eitridea, havens like the Journeyhouses were the first to dwindle. They succumbed to bandits, fire, and corrupt companies of soldiers. Travelers, once common, are now rare, as the roads become increasing more dangerous. Villagers do not journey far from their homes, as cursed mists rise from the swamps. Slowly, the Journeyhouses' caretakers deserted them, retreating into anonymity.
In modernity, Journeyhouses, with no function, are now abandoned. Most are now ruins, burned out in raids, taken over by bandits or barbarians, and converted into makeshift shelters by wanderers who could have once found warm hearths and soft beds - now they must settle for less as a result of an empire's collapse.
These husks are common, representing an age gone by, but unremarkable to commoners. They have other things to worry about than the ruin on the hill, passing by it daily, unnoticing.
A few notable Journeyhouses, namely the ones nearest the largest cities, are still in operation, even if their actual Journeymen are nowhere to be seen. These Journeyhouses are upkept by well-meaning priests, or rebuilt by prospecting merchants in search of a defensible base of operations.

Type

Abbey

Many Journeyhouses, while ruined, are in secluded, peaceful locations, when they have not been overtaken by bandits or worse. These Journeyhouses function as Havens, allowing a party to take a Long Rest at them.
Some Journeyhouses require more negotiation to utilize. Some must be repaired or fortified to provide the required level of security for a Long Rest. Others are inhabited by not outright hostile caretakers, who will offer the Journeyhouse's services ... for a price.