Integrity (fortitude, honour, moral standards)

Decorum (humility, moderation, respect)

Righteousness (prudence, justice, impartiality)

Harmony (cooperation, collectivism)

Mengism holds that the known universe is divided into three planes: Heaven, Earth, and Hell.

Heaven is described as the home of the sun, moon, astronomical phenomenon, and stars, and also the home of the Dragon gods.
Earth is described as the home of all things mortal, including animals, plants, humans, and microbes.
Hell is the realm of the dead; a subterranean maze with various levels and chambers, to which souls are taken after death to atone for the sins they committed. It serves to punish and renew the souls of the dead in preparation for consumption by the Dragon Gods.

WORSHIP

It is expected that Mengists are to worship all 8 Great Dragon Gods in equal measure and reverence, as they compose the 8 elements of Alter Terre. If one does not worship a particular Dragon God, the God's opposite may return to haunt the failed worshipper.

For instance:

Failing to worship the Bailong may lead to the death of a relative.

Failing to worship the Heilong may lead to the conception of an unwanted child.

Failing to worship the Qinglong may lead to a bad harvest.

Failing to worship the Jinlong may lead to storms.

Failing to worship the Honglong may lead to floods.

Failing to worship the Yinlong may lead to draughts.

Failing to worship the Lanlong may lead to fires.

Failing to worship the Zilong may lead to war.

To fulfil this requirement, believers frequent shrines across their cities. Each city, town or village typically has 8 shrines, 1 for each Dragon God, for worshipping purposes. Believers perform religious rituals in one shrine once a week, then in another shrine next week, and so on. For isolated dwellings or hamlets, it is expected that believers tend to 8 figurines of the Dragons as a substitute.

It is considered a crime and a sin to deface and damage religious figurines, shrines or facilities. Members of the clergy have a holy duty to maintain and clean the shrines.

Some of these rituals include:

Food offerings: Food offerings occur once annually, at the last day of the year. It was an ancient custom that farmers would come to shrines, and bring along with them some amounts of food. This can range from several vegetables to animal meat, depending on how much the farmer had by the end of the year. The food was tossed into a gigantic pot, which was brought to a boil. A member of the clergy was to bless the contents of the pot, offering it to the Dragon Gods, and then a massive tasting of the pot's contents will occur. Typically, the pot's contents would be turned into a stew named "Shentang" (God's Soup), and those who feast upon the stew are believed to be able to lead a fortuous year ahead.

Sacrifices: Animal sacrifices occur three times a year: on the anniversary of the Emperor's coronation, before Yule, and before the stewing of the "Shentang". It is custom to sacrifice 96 lambs - their coats dyed in yellow, for yellow was a regal colour - in the name of the Dragons.

Cave Burials: Dead clergymen are typically embalmed, mummified, and their corpses left in caves.

Winter Bonfires: A celebration held during the Winter Solstice that lasts for 3 days, it involves the lighting of bonfires, and the casting of "sins" into the fire. Citizens are instructed to act honourably and honestly; to write down any venial sins (they could remember) onto a paper card, then to cast it into the fire. It symbolizes the fires 'burning' away one's sins, allowing them to start anew.

Praying: This occurs on a biannual basis, once after the cooking of the "Shentang" and once after Yule. Believers congregate at their nearest shrine to pray for redemption and atonement.

Alms: Customarily, 0.7% of a believer's total savings above $1,500 are donated to members of the clergy. The collected amount is then paid to the poor, the needy, the indebted, and the stranded traveller. The remaining money goes towards maintaining shrines and feeding the clergy.

BASIC MYTHOLOGY

Mengism has a rich mythos, surrounding the Three Primordials, Eight Great Dragon Gods, and the Eighty-Eight Lesser Dragons.

The Three Primordials are as follows:

E' - The Primordial entity representing evil. There can be no definite description of E', as it is said that his physical manifestation constantly changes depending on the person's perspective. It is believed that E' is dormant as a supermassive black hole, but when the bastions of the virtuous good fall, E' will engulf the universe.

Shen - The Primordial entity representing life. Affectionately named the Maiden of Life, she toyed with life, and is personified as a female figure comprised out of pure, white light. She was partnered with Si, to ensure balance in life and death. She is the mother of the Others - a group of immortal (but not invincible) entities, who co-exist with the Dragons.

Si - the Primordial entity representing death. Death is an essential part of life, and he has existed as a romantic partner with Shen. He is personified as a black moon with a single, gigantic eye the size of half the moon, that he opens or closes at will. He drifts through the universe, with 444 supernatural Hellhounds following it, singing his song of Death. It is said that the souls of the dead are the only ones who can hear his song, and are inevitably attracted by it. Those who head towards the song will get carried away by the Hellhounds, who deposit the souls at Hell for final judgement.

It is said that shortly after the creation of life, E' threatened to engulf the universe. The Primordial Goddess Shen, in a bid to prevent the universe from falling to evil, entered a duel with E'. As both Primordials cast boiling stars, planets and asteroids at each other, Shen was mortally wounded and died, to the heartbreak of Shen's partner, Si. E', severely weakened after the fight, was imprisoned into a supermassive black hole by Si, who then proceeded to bury her among the stars.

8 nearby stars absorbed the essence of Shen, and were reborn as the 8 Great Dragon Gods. They then created mortal creatures, as to satisfy the appetite of Si, who, distraught and depressed, looked towards comfort eating the universe. An agreement was hashed out, in that Si would not consume the universe in his spell of sadness, and that the 8 Great Dragon Gods would provide him with a steady supply of souls to feast upon. This spawned the process of life and death.

The Eight Great Dragon Gods are as follows:

Bailong (White Dragon) - Dragon of Life

Heilong (Black Dragon) - Dragon of Death

Qinglong (Azure Dragon) - Dragon of the Sky

Jinlong (Gold Dragon) - Dragon of Metal

Honglong (Red Dragon) - Dragon of Fire

Yinlong (Silver Dragon) - Dragon of the Earth

Lanlong (Blue Dragon) - Dragon of Water

Zilong (Purple Dragon) - Dragon of Thunder/Lightning

The Eighty-Eight Lesser Dragons are as follows:

DEATH

When one dies, it is common Mengist belief that their physical bodies are decomposed, and their souls enter Hell (the realm of the dead). There, in Hell, their souls will be evaluated for any sins or deeds they committed in their lives. Those found to have sinned heinously will have their souls discarded to the Inferno, whereas those found to have sinned mildly will be allowed a chance of repentance via reincarnation. The souls of the pure are granted passage to the gullets of the Dragon Gods, where after being consumed, they "live on" as part of the Dragons.

The 4 Kings of Hell are as follows:

Onwu

Sihuang

Tanatos

Orcus

In Mengism, there are 9 Heinous Sins - sins that are thought to go against the 4 core tenets of the religion. Sinners who fall under this category will never be able to seek redemption, as their souls, discarded into the Inferno, will be held in eternal purgatory. In the Inferno, they will be served on a platter of solid magma for Primordial Si's perusal.
These sins include:

Plotting rebellions and uprisings

Damaging religious sites and defaming religious scripture

Petty Treason

High Treason

Damaging burial sites or graves

Lack of respect for one's ancestors or the Dragon Gods

Corruption

Oppression

Poor parenting

Those who commit lighter sins, as listed below, are granted a second chance at life. They are typically reincarnated as new babies, where they can absolve themselves of their previous sins by leading a life in accordance with the 4 tenets. It is believed that the sinner's memories of their past lives are cleared upon reincarnation, and that the duties of parents should be to lead their children down the right path.
These (venial) sins include:

Drug Abuse

Murder

Greed

Pride

Wrath

Greed

Theft

Obstinacy

Vengefulness

Desertion

Blasphemy

Creating schisms

Trafficking of humans

Rape

Mutilation

Those who generally/consistently uphold the 4 core tenets are generally allowed entry into the gullets of the Dragon Gods, wherein they can "live on" as part of the Gods as all-seeing entities. Bound to the Gods, they can advise the Kings of Hell and take an active role in judging the deceased - or they can fall into a deep slumber, to return onto the Mortal Plane once more in times of primordial danger.