After Kaos' meddling with the Book of Dark Magic, part of the desert was dragged to the Shattered Islands, with the few ruins on it that survived giving way to sparse trees. Pretending to be part of Kaos' plan, Golden Queen reclaimed the isle to secure the Book of Dark Magic, only to reveal her plan to the Skylanders that she never intended to return it, passing it off to Dr. Krankcase for experiments before the heroes or Kaos could retrieve it.
The Temple of Topaz and the Jeweled Coliseum as seen from the temple.
Though no transition to Lair of the Golden Queen is shown, the Jeweled Coliseum and the Temple of Topaz can be seen at a small distance from her temple in the cutscene at the end of the Future of Skylands. Strangely, the opposite isn't true; the temple can't be seen from the previous level despite the proximity.
Before the Golden Queen's rule, Grave Clobber was the pharaoh of the Golden Desert, until his brothers betrayed him and almost ruined the kingdom in their attempt to control it.
