From the surging price of the copper hoop to the vanishing accessibility of the vital flame, this force represents the tightening grip of a world where everything required to create costs more than the creation itself. Within Aurenloch, Rising Input Costs is the trial of the Strained Resource, where the master is forced to choose between the integrity of the craft and the survival of the workshop. This force honors the "Alchemists of Efficiency" those who find brilliance in scarcity—and serves as a reminder that when the price of the path rises, only the most dedicated can afford to keep walking.