> How would others have handled this situation?

Exactly as you did. There's no bank there to store
your items in. There's absolutely NO reason for you
to have put yourself in jeopardy like that. If it
was a friend, I would have gone to Qeynos, banked my
stuff and came back - but for someone you just know
by seeing occasionally, and you were getting ready
to log out? "Best wishes.."

Two corpses are worse than one.

> Do others have experiences where players feel
> like just because we can located we're somehow
> *obligated* to do so regardless of the
> circumstances or dangers?

Personally, I wouldn't even bother to ask someone to
help me retrieve my corpse in a horribly dangerous
situation like that. When I died in the Ogre camp
I asked for help of higher level characters and told
them what I needed help with so that they knew before
even answering. Even when I found one willing to help,
they backed out when he saw just how many Ogre's were
there. I thanked him and let him go. No use making
him die too.