It's all her doing.
Nephelle is very full of herself and loves to think of all her accomplishments. Mostly she views herself as a champion of animals and the weak.
Potions and charms and an arsenal of spells. She also has the special ability to turn into a griffin.
Nephelle spent her youth being very poor, among a family of farming peasants. Then she met a sorceress named Naia, and everything changed. She ran away from home and became Naia's apprentice. Just before her studies were about to end, her master was caught by a group of the King's men and killed. Nephelle has been on the search for the final spell she was to learn. She has also been meaning to exact revenge for Naia's demise. She has traveled many places and cast spells that she designed to solve injustices. This has given her many enemies. Because of this, she has created a hidden, spell-protected fortress. Every once in a while she lures a man into her domain to be her lover. She has spawned some two dozen children and they live with her and are reared to be her servants.