Jazreth

Sorcerer from Diablo I, driven to madness by the Lord of Terror. He is a Super Unique monster in the Arcane Sanctuary in Act II. He is found near Horazon's Journal, on a platform with six glowing glyphs. Killing him completes the quest The Summoner.

Background

Once a sorcerer of the Vizjerei Clan, this mage - like many other heroes and adventurers - had come to the town of Tristram to battle with the minions of Diablo in the Catacombs beneath the Cathedral. However, like many of the heroes that battled the Lord of Terror, the sorcerer paid a high price: he lost much of his sanity as a result of the corrupting influence of terror.

The sorcerer traveled to Lut Gholein to find the mystical Arcane Sanctuary of the great mage Horazon. He managed to talk his way into the 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. It is unclear what happened after that.

Some say the sorcerer, now calling himself The Summoner, went mad with power and tried to master the powers of the Sanctuary (impersonating and taking the place of Horazon) at the cost of his own soul and sanity, though this does not explain Horazon's fate. Others claim that the spirit of Horazon himself possessed the sorcerer, in order to rule his Sanctuary once more.

Apparently, Drognan and the Summoner knew each other as they were both mages from the Vizjerei Clan. Drognan calls the Summoner "a comrade of mine whom I believed to have died at Tristram."

After killing The Summoner, Deckard Cain tells the player that the sorcerer most likely got dragged down into Hell by the demons he was bound to, and warns the player against practicing demon magic.

Possessed by Horazon?

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Caution: The following section contains content that has not been confirmed. At this point, it is pure speculation.

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. Several NPC quotes on the subject seem to prove that the Summoner wasn't Horazon - several player characters clearly state that "that couldn't have been Horazon", and Deckard Cain calls the Summoner a 'false summoner'. However, the official lore background of the Summoner implies that Horazon and The Summoner may have been the same person:

The great Vizjerei Summoner, Horazon, made his lair beneath the sands of Lut Gholein. Seeing Demons as deceptive and cunning adversaries who deserved to be enslaved and tormented, he honed his abilities to control them as completely as possible. His prowess as a powerful Summoner is well documented, but Horazon secretly feared that the Lords of Hell would punish him for enslaving their brethren. The creation of his Arcane Sanctuary was an attempt to keep opposing mages, inquisitive thieves and even lesser Demons confused and far from his summoning circle. 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...

Though it is now generally believed that the Summoner was in fact the Sorcerer from Diablo I, this might mean that Horazon did possess him at some point.

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 Glacial Spike 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.

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.

This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.

• Blizzard might have been inspired by Rita Repulsa when doing the graphics design of The Summoner. Rita Repulsa is the intergalactic sorceress of the american television series Power Rangers. This is how Rita Repulsa looks in the series: http://www.rovang.org/wiki/rita-with-wand.jpg