The ghoul ambush that's part of the quest
Where Did I Put My Sword? is an abrupt step-up in difficult simply due to the way they swarm you. At early levels, it can be a pain. Here's some tips:
1) Have a companion. Griss outperforms Adaon here at low levels.
2) Use a Summon. A simple summon wolf can help a bit.
3) Potions / Scrolls. Buff up your attack and defense a little can help a bit. Ghouls hit with some toxic damage so keep that in mind when using buff potions.
4) Tactics. Approaching slowly to try to get only some of the ghouls to aggro is helpful. A little easier with a bow, but still tricky, You can use a bow to attack from a far and switch to your melee weapon for the fight.
5) Trying to get the ghouls to come to you at the bridge can help keep them from surrounding you.
6) Mad dash: Dashing to the body to get the sword and than using a scroll of recall can -sometimes- get you warped out before you die.