*Spoilers* The Torture Victims

[hollowleviathan]

I strongly suspect that the killings ramped up drastically during the time that Daniel was there, to ward the active shadow chasing him. He was chastised for the manner by which he acquired the orb, which brought on the hunting, meaning they both circumvented its summon somehow, meaning they had little need for murder sacrifices previously.

Also, Alexander's torture is intended to continue the lives of the victims to maximize vitae extraction while minimizing deaths. He even concocted an amnesia potion so that jaded and broken prisoners could experience the fear of death anew.

He's obviously not trying for the murder world record. He sees the end of his struggles in sight, and sacrifices his cover and subtlety for the final two weeks, gathers a bumper crop, then seals the evidence away in the wine cellar.