To be honest, Auntie Ethel is a product of Larian's writing style. Why is there an evil swamp hag in the first bits of the game? Because it's a fantasy cliché. It isn't there because it makes sense for the story or because it's realistic for that location, it's there because Larian are the masters of stereotypes and tropes. "Let's have a devious swamp witch here because why not!" It's just part of their cartoonish design.