The returned are no real minions, but they are allies. They don't follow you, but attack the nearest monster in sight, just like the barbarians in the frigid highlands. They share your auras and perhaps the auras of your party members as well. They live a fixed amount of time and then fall apart, like the revived from necros, but they are always melee skeletons. AFAIK their strength somehow depends on the level of the monsters killed. They are quite tough (although not as tough as a good valk) and are excellent for distracting the enemy.