Dr. Brightowski

Overview

A ripper doc operating out of Kowalski Clinic in the South Bay neighborhood. Old-school, Polish, and legitimate — considers himself the decent alternative to his competitor Dr. Willie across the street. Golden Girl’s regular cyberware provider.

Session 05 update: Found assimilated into The Calling — tired, “a little different,” speaking as “we.” Minutes after the crew left his clinic, Continental Brands mercs arrived, went inside, and a burst of automatic gunfire was heard before they emerged carrying a body bag. His death is unconfirmed on-screen but presumed.

Appearance

Older man. Big fluffy beard. Works on patients in the open — no waiting room formality, just pulls up a stool and gets to it. His clinic has bright colors, old-school Polish decorations, and neon lights. Garish but clean.

Known Facts

• Runs Kowalski Clinic — by ripper doc standards, unusually clean and presentable
• Installed Golden Girl’s cyber arm; has a warm relationship with her
• Actively dislikes Dr. Willie (“the evil doctor Willy”) — views him as a corrupt competitor who’s recently gotten flush with dark money
• His clinic’s neighborhood has historically Polish character (street names: Kawólski / Cawoski area)
• Keeps a bodyguard, though they’re often out on errands (getting hot dogs during the crew’s visit)
• Has “a large and loyal fan base” — works on patients in the open, no appointment needed, and is proud of the neighborhood’s trust in him
• Maintains good relations with The Second Sons, who have chased trouble out of his area before
• Open to hiring Kenny Log-ins for occasional tech contract work on cyberware that breaks down
• Was mid-procedure on a patient named “Mr. Blugoski” [?spelling] when the crew arrived — an older man with an aging, cheap cyber leg model; “the leg” is a patient apparently regulars know
• Session 04: identified a high concentration of Choo-Two (automotive coolant) as capable of killing the Vilify nanomachines — but warned it risks organ failure and would give the user “the worst hangover of your life”; declined to test it directly on a hive-minded test subject the crew brought in, citing the risk
• Confirmed, when asked, that he’d never heard of a chemical called Nonh before this session — despite it being the compound underlying his own rival’s product
• Scanned a sample of Kenny’s choco kibble for nanites at Mr. Zip’s request, out of pure curiosity (“I got nothing better to do”); found nothing — “that’s just fucking chocolate”
• Session 05: assimilated into The Calling sometime between sessions — found by the crew tired and “a little different,” now speaking as “we”; claims the collective is fine with absorbing him and considers his knowledge valuable
• Kenny gave up his location to Continental Brands as “the breakout site,” despite explicitly asking Mr. Continental to treat him gently as a personal favor; CB mercs arrived at the clinic minutes later, went in, and a burst of automatic gunfire was followed by the mercs carrying out a body bag — his fate is unconfirmed but presumed to be death
• Session 06: Kenny told Dr. Willie the truth about his death at Mr. Continental’s hands — Willie was genuinely shaken by the news

Relationships

• Golden Girl — regular patient; installed her cyber arm
• Kenny Log-ins — new contact; potential tech contractor
• The Second Sons — friendly; they keep the neighborhood livable
• Dr. Willie — rival and adversary; deeply disapproves of his operation

Open Questions

• What’s his full name? “Brightowski” from Kenny’s reference; the DM said something closer to “Bright-Kaskey” — spelling unconfirmed
• Is he actually dead? Never confirmed on-screen — only gunfire and a body bag
• How was he assimilated? Off-screen, between sessions — method unknown

Appearances

• Session 02 — Crew visited for information on Dr. Willie; confirmed Nexus Mods’ location and the recent influx of dark money
• Session 04 — Consulted on curing a Vilify hive-mind connection; identified Choo-Two as a nanite-killer but too dangerous to use directly; scanned choco kibble for nanites (found none)
• Session 05 — Found assimilated into The Calling; location given up to Continental Brands; presumed killed in the resulting raid