The Summoner
From Diablo Wiki
The Summoner is the 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.
[edit] 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 explalin 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.
It seems fate hasn't been kind for the heroes that stood up against Diablo in the original game. Both the warrior (now the Dark Wanderer) and rogue (Blood Raven) fell under an Evil influence, and now it seems the sorcerer went astray as well.
[edit] From The Arreat Summit
- 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...
[edit] Tips and Other Additional Information
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 once you reach him. His Cold attacks such as Glacial Spike can be quite annoying, Freezing or Slowing you. Bringing Thawing Potions and gear with Cold Resistance should limit the damage. Never standing still to make you a sitting target for 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 you from moving towards The Summoner and making you a sitting duck to his cold attacks and the Vampires' fire attacks. Lure them away and kill them out of range of his spells. Once the coast is clear, you should have little trouble killing The Summoner.
Don't bother taking a Town Portal back to Lut Gholein just yet, because once you have read Horazon's Journal, a portal will open to the Canyon of the Magi, where you can use the waypoint.
