I have crowned heroes, Decorated generals, Sold illusions, And clarified lies. Some chase me their entire lives. Some earn me for a job well done. Some print me beside conditions they hope you'll ignore. Yet every morning, One of my kind rises without applause. What am I?

Between the peaks I rest below, where winding rivers often go. Though low I lie, life gathers near, a quiet cradle year by year.

Temperature and storms make me common small talk, indoors I am controlled, outdoors I may turn violent. This or that, one choice or another, sometimes the decision rests on a whim.

I swallow rivers, vast and deep, My layered walls, ancient secrets keep. What am I, where echoes sleep?

an action we take, or often strive upon which, here are some actions you may do. stairs, a ladder, the corporate ladder, a tree, mountain, or tower. can you identify the connected action?