The Summoner

"The appearance of the mage you describe sounds like one I met back in Tristram. Many Vizjerei came to fight against Diablo, the Lord of Terror. Perhaps, this is one of them. You know, fate seems to have frowned upon all of the heroes who confronted that terrible Evil. Take care or the same may happen to you."

- Deckard Cain

The Summoner (previously named Jazreth ) was a powerful sorcerer. Once a member of the Vizjerei and opponent to Diablo, he fell into evil and was struck down by a new group of heroes.

The Darkening of Tristram
"The sanctity of this place has been fouled."

- The Sorcerer upon entering the cathedral

The Vizjerei Clan sent many of its members to investigate the town of Tristram, rumours of an awakening evil having reached their ears. Jazreth was but one of them, though he of course eventually became the most prominent. Jazreth also had an interest in discovering lost tomes and magical artifacts that might be hidden away in the labyrinth beneath the town cathedral.

Arriving at the town, Jazreth found two allies: Moreina of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye and Aidan, prince of Khanduras. Entering the cathedral, the trio encountered and dispatched many horrors, including The Butcher and King Leoric, the monarch having now become the Skeleton King. Eventually, they reached the horror in the labyrinth's darkest depths: Diablo, Lord of Terror. After a mighty battle, the demon was felled.

The Arcane Sanctuary
"Ah, yes. I remember. There was a...fellow around here many months ago who asked almost as many questions about Horazon as you. So… He discovered enough to assume Horazon's place in the Arcane Sanctuary, huh? What a fool!"

- Lysander

Scarred by his experiences, Jazreth travelled to Lut Gholein to find the mystical Arcane Sanctuary of the great mage Horazon. He met Drognan, an old comrade of his, and told him of his fight against Diablo, but such were his ramblings that the man dismissed much of what he had said. Later, the sorcerer managed to talk his way into Jerhyn's palace, where he found the portal to the Sanctuary hidden within the palace's cellars.

He entered the portal, but by doing so, he opened a rift into the palace, allowing scores of demons (that had been enslaved and imprisoned within the Arcane Sanctuary) to invade the palace where they massacred the local guards and harem women. Drognan would later speculate that the Summoner had possibly been possessed by the spirit of Horazon.

The Summoner believed that he could bend evil forces to his will. What he didn’t know was that evil uses man, not the reverse. Ultimately, he met his end at the hands of a new group of heroes, pursuing the Dark Wanderer. Deckard Cain, who realized the Summoner was the same sorcerer he knew in Tristram, hoped that the Summoner would find peace in death. However, he acknowledged that it was more likely that the Summoner would be dragged into the Burning Hells by the demons he was bound to&mdash;a warning against the hazards of demonic magic.

Diablo I
Main article: Sorcerer

The Summoner is the sorcerer character of the first game, though he remains unnamed in said game. The confirmation of the two being the same character came much later.

Diablo II
"Heha... hahahehehaha...hehehaha..." The Summoner's taunt to players

The Summoner is a Super Unique monster in the Arcane Sanctuary in Act II of Diablo II. He is found near Horazon's Journal, on a platform with six glowing glyphs. Killing him completes the quest The Summoner. For closed Battle.net players, he can drop the Key of Hate, a key component to unlocking the Pandemonium Event.

Strategy
Though his magical attacks are strong and deadly, the Summoner has little health and defense, making physical attacks very effective against him; a quick kill is almost guaranteed upon reaching him. His Cold attacks such as can be quite annoying, Freezing or Slowing players. Bringing Thawing Potions and gear with Cold Resistance should limit the damage. Dodging The Summoner's magic attacks also helps.

The Summoner stands on a platform, but he is not alone. Usually, there are several Goatmen and Vampires near him. The Goatmen can be especially troublesome as they block the corridor, preventing players from moving towards him. Lure them away and kill them out of range of his spells. Once the coast is clear, players should have little trouble killing The Summoner. Barbarians with Leap and Sorceresses with Teleport can bypass the blockade of foes. Ranged characters can kill him from a safe distance by guessing the source of the Glacial Spike he can cast. Upon reading Horazon's Journal, a special portal is opened to the Canyon of the Magi. A few steps takes the player to the waypoint; therefore, it is not necessary to open a town portal after defeating the summoner.

Development
The Summoner has an unused animation where he raises his staff and glows with energy, this might have been meant as a teleport animation as he also has an unused effect called "summonerteleport".

Summoner also has an animation of his soul that is unused for unknown reason.

Trivia

 * It remains unclear whether The Summoner was only usurping Horazon's position as master of the Arcane Sanctuary, or whether the unfortunate sorcerer was possessed by Horazon's spirit. NPC quotes vary on the likelihood of this, though his description on the Arreat Summit suggests that he was being used by an Evil. The RPG book To Hell and Back leaves the possibility open as well&mdash;players can battle the Summoner or, if they are so inclined, Horazon himself (basically the Summoner with increased stats).
 * The Summoner has Extra Strong and Extra Fast assigned in the SuperUniques.txt file, but he doesn't have these modifiers in-game.