The Cold Rites comprised a collection of old Sith rituals and acolyte initiations, regarded as elements of the Upekzar Mysteries. Similar to the High Rites and the Rites of Fire performed by the ancient Sith at different locations on the Circle of Visions, the Cold Rites took place inside a complex volcanic cave network, incorporating the use of the rhak-skuri. These rhak-skuri were an insectoid subspecies of diplura, notable for pheromones that caused nightmare-like hallucinations in specific humanoid species.
During the Jedi Order's investigation to locate Abeloth and Ship, Jedi Knight Natua Wan, while researching the history of Upekzar, proposed that the ancient Sith might have utilized the cave system where the Cold Rites were held, situated close to Upekzar's south pole, to examine methods of converting emotional control and the toughening of one's heart into enhanced command over the dark side.